Gallery's Picks for the Month（Uchiboso Art Festival vol.2）

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Bunpei Kado, Iku Harada, Hitoshi Kuriyama

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Bunpei Kado, Iku Harada, and Hitoshi Kuriyama are showing their works in "Satomi Plant Museum".

●Ryo Toyofuku, "Satomi Plant Museum," 2024 (new work)
Creating a museum in the satoyama, a quintessential landscape of Ichihara, with motifs of Ichihara's factory nightscape. The industrial area along the Ichihara coast, developed since the 1960s, has been operating continuously for over 60 years and is now one of Ichihara's iconic landscapes. Inside the gymnasium, works imbued with the artist's industrial essence are also on display.

Venue: Former Satomi Elementary School(541 Tokuji, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture)

・Bunpei Kado Fountain Photo by Osamu Nakamura
Objects stacked in oil drums continually circulate their contents. The artist overlaps oil cans and chocolate fountains with symbols of powers, economic superpowers, energy wars, and pollution. The work shows a light-hearted desire for gluttony, while at the same time confronting the darker side of capitalism, such as the danger of being ruined by self-interest in a capitalist society, and shows ingenuity and clues to show things from multiple angles.

・Iku Harada，HOUSE #001 Photo by Osamu Nakamura
The artist paints pictures with the motif of a utopia in a virtual space. In this world, everything is abstracted into a simplified form. At first glance, the "house" painted by the artist looks inorganic like a computer graphics, but upon closer inspection, it has individuality and expression. By painting on canvas and building materials with paint, the artist builds a bridge between the real and virtual worlds.

・Hitoshi Kuriyama Tunnels of the Void Photo by Osamu Nakamura
This work observes the structure of a tunnel created by atmospheric pressure and vacuum. When a glass tube with a large difference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and outside is heated locally, the softened glass is pushed by the atmospheric pressure (pulled by the vacuum) and changes its form. The resulting uneven glass capillary causes unstable electrical discharge and fluctuating light, making the atmospheric pressure visible.

You can purchase artworks by Bunpei Kado and Iku Harada at the store in the former Satomi Elementary School. Enjoy art at home as well.






Bunpei Kado, O2 (bottle), 2022 / acrylic, cylinder valve, model material / 650x150x150mm



Bunpei Kado, canned forest, 2023 / 300x250x180mm / Mixed media (Photo: Installation view at Kiaf Seoul 2023)



Iku Harada, Old Wood -GARDEN piece #002, 500x320x20mm / acrylic paint on wood

Iku Harada, COLOR BLOCK 2020 #001, 2020 / 100x100x60mm / Brick, acrylic paint

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Bunpei Kado

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● Homing 2024 (new work) Photo by Osamu Nakamura

In the Kazusano region, there is a custom of presenting a kite on Dragon Boat Festival to wish for the health of a newborn child. The kite is a symbol of the child's future, as it soars high into the sky. But I also think that the reason kites look so free and powerful is because there is a safe place at the end of the string to which they can return at any time," says Kaku. The artist will create an installation of planets and kites in an old wooden school building that may have been a stronghold for children in the area. Sleeve kites of all sizes will gather to create a place of memories.


Venue: Uchida Mirai Gakko(内田未来楽校)), Ichihara City (174-8 Shuku, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture)

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Yuma Tomiyasu

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●Three on the Level, 2024 (new work) Photo by Osamu Nakamura

Among the three works by Tomiyasu at the venue, the first piece themed "Ascent" and the second piece themed "Descent," this work is created with the keyword "Horizontal/Equilibrium." The motif of the number "3" has been used historically in ideologies and beliefs, such as pyramids and the Holy Trinity in Christianity. The triangle signifies stability, and concepts like "third party" and "third person" imply neutrality and objectivity. Centered on Tomiyasu's important theme of "overlapping perspectives," this work creates a fantastical experience in a dark science lab.

Venue: Gathering Plaza Heisan (集い広場へいさん) [former Heisan Elementary School] (808 Heizo, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture)

●The TOWER (Descension To The Emerald City) , 2021
Photo by Osamu Nakamura


Photo by Ken Kato


The work themed "Descent" is exhibited from the first to the third floor, including the serving room and outdoor space. It is inspired by the artist's childhood dream of falling inside an emerald-colored tower and the fictional city "Emerald City" from 'The Wizard of Oz.' Named "The TOWER" due to the venue's vertical length, this piece features the Tarot card "The TOWER," which depicts a collapsing tower and people falling, as a significant motif.

Venue: Tsudoi Hiroba Heisan [Former Heisan Elementary School], Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, 808 Heizo, Ichihara, Chiba

Venue: Gathering Plaza Heisan (集い広場へいさん) [former Heisan Elementary School] (808 Heizo, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture)

●《Jacob’s Ladder (Dream For Ascension) / ヤコブの梯子（終わらない夢）》2021
Photo by Ken Kato

The work themed "Ascent" is exhibited in the staircase from the second to the third floor and the ladder space from the third floor to the rooftop. "Jacob's Ladder" refers to the ladder from heaven to earth seen by Jacob in a dream in the Old Testament. "Ascension," which means "ascent" in Japanese, also signifies the ascension of the soul to heaven in Christianity. By climbing the stairs and viewing the artwork, this piece invites contemplation on the unanswered question of "death."

Venue: Gathering Plaza Heisan (集い広場へいさん) [former Heisan Elementary School] (808 Heizo, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture)

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Koichiro Azuma

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●Future Well 2024 (New Work) Photo by Osamu Nakamura


Venue: Sodegaura Park, Sodegaura City, Chiba Prefecture (2360 Iitomi, Sodegaura City, Chiba)


The artist focuses on the dynamism of "Kazusa boring," a well-digging technique developed and perfected in the Obitsu River and Koito River basins of the Nishikazusa region. This is expressed in his large-scale metal sculpture, which also functions as a drilling mechanism. Visitors can experience the work firsthand by operating the drill, causing the hole to deepen over the course of the exhibition. This deepening process creates a new chapter in the history of traditional techniques, embedding itself in the memories of those who participate.

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"100 Nengo Art Festival - Uchiboso Art Festival"
Period: March 23, 2024 (Saturday) to May 26, 2024 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (except April 30 and May 1; some facilities operate as usual) (Total of 49 days)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Dates and times of exhibitions may vary by artwork
Venue: Five Cities of Uchiboso (Ichihara City, Kisarazu City, Kimitsu City, Sodegaura City, Futtsu City)
Art Festival Passport: Purchase here　
On the day: (General) ¥3,500, (Elementary, Middle, and High School Students) ¥2,000
　
General Producer: Takeshi Kobayashi
Art Director: Fram Kitagawa

Official Website