Gallery's Picks for the Month Minami HIDA Art Discovery）

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Akira Kugimachi

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Born 1968 in Kanagawa prefecture / Lives and works in France. Using Japanese paper and natural mineral pigments, he paints primitive landscapes that question the origins of civilization and the relationship between man and nature, based on the concept of “light, time, and distance.” In recent years, he has also exhibited video works, creating exquisite paintings and video installations.

Akira Kugimachi 《来るべきもの》(What is to come)
[About the Work] The artist, who visited the area and was impressed by its beauty, created an installation consisting of a huge monolith, sculpture, and video of the Iwatekyo Gorge, which he painted using traditional Japanese painting techniques.
He said, “In the past, I have tried to depict the signs of death and life, the magnificent nature without humans, and the primitive light glimpsed there. This time, the work will become a device, creating a space that evokes the vast number of memories of death and rebirth in our DNA. By entering this space, I want people to feel the land and nature, their own life and the outside world, and all their time” (artist's comment).

Akira Kugimachi's exquisite nature-inspired works are also available for purchase at Art Front Gallery.

Akira Kugimachi 《Air (Kiyotsu-kyō )》 Japanese hemp paper, sumi ink, shell powder, natural mineral pigments 970x1620x40mm, 2023

This work, which was created based on his research of the Kiyotsukyo Valley in Echigo-Tsumari, Niigata, is impressive for its majestic columnar rock surfaces and flowing clouds that seem to give the picture a sense of time.
In many of his works, Kugimachi visits various places, records the locations on video, and composes his works based on the video. In his works, one can sense the vast amount of time that the painted landscapes have passed and the overwhelming presence of the paintings. We hope you will also pay close attention to the meticulously detailed aspects of the work.

Akira Kugimachi 《Air (Demogorgon)》 Japanese hemp paper, sumi ink, shell powder, natural mineral pigments 530x410x23mm, 2024

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Nozomi Tanaka

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Born 1989 in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture／Lives and works in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture. While living in a mountainous area, he researched the history and techniques of foraging, and uses the materials and experiences he gained from his foraging life to create pictorial works of art.

Nozomi Tanaka《あなたの根を知る》(To Know Your Roots)
[About the artwork] In the Koke-no-Michi (former medicinal herb garden), the venue for this exhibition, 400 kinds of medicinal herbs were planted in the past, but many of them failed to take root. This work explores the comparison between plants taking root (or not) and people establishing themselves in a community (or not). The artist presents a series of works including jars filled with plants that successfully rooted at Koke-no-Michi, as well as jars representing the "roots" of former residents through interviews. This process is portrayed through animation.

Nozomi Tanaka's works, which evoke nostalgia and stories in indigenous Japanese landscapes, are available for purchase at Art Front Gallery.

Nozomi Tanaka《うさぎの山薬や》panels, gessoed shell powder, mizuhoshi, sumi ink, foils 450x610x35mm, 2022

Nozomi Tanaka《ゼンマイ》panels, gessoed shell powder, mizuhoshi, sumi ink, foils　270x220x20mm, 2022

Minami HIDA Art Discovery　MAP

Minami HIDA Art Discovery
Period: October 19 (Sat) - November 24 (Sun), 2024
Time: October (10/19-31) 10:00 - 16:30 / November (11/1 - 24) 10:00 - 16:00
Venue: Minami Hida Health Promotion Center (1557-3, Shimi, Hagiwara-cho, Gero City, Gifu)
Organizer: Minami Hida Art Project Executive Committee
Committee Chairs: Hajime Furuta (Governor of Gifu Prefecture), Noboru Yamauchi (Mayor of Gero City)
General Director: Fram Kitagawa (Art Director)
Advisors: Kanji Yumisashi (Artist)
Production Support: Chika Ikeda (Konoha Art), Ryo Toyofuku (Office Toyofuku)
Marche Planning Support: Satoshi Ukai, Yidan Zhang (Trip-Life), Kanji Yumisashi (Artist)