Kazutoshi SHIMUTA“Elements of the Space Between I”
Photograph by　Sakurai Tadahisa

 

◯ Opening Reception：2026.02.28 Sat. 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

 

LOKO GALLERY is pleased to present “Elements of the Space Between”, a solo exhibition by Kazutoshi SHIMUTA.

The painting depicting a grayish-brown torso composed of six casings stacked in three tiers of two was created in 2016 and still hangs in Shimuta’s studio in Kamakura. This work became the point of departure for the production of six sculptural torsos, followed by the creation of boxes to contain them. The boxes function not only as containers for storage but also as pedestals for display, and thus constitute an essential element of the work.

For Shimuta, the image of a “torso-like body” that does not assert or express itself is a central concern. Presented in a stored state, the torsos invite viewers to imagine a wider world surrounding the work — other places, other times, and other possible modes of being. Within this expanding field of imagination, the torso comes to exist as a work in its own right. This series of explorations was presented under the title Torso on / in the Box.

The newly presented Element of the Gap I focuses on the “gap” that emerges when cushioning material is assumed to fill the space between the box and the stored torso. By materializing this previously unseen void as a sculptural form and unfolding the four sides surrounding the box, the work attempts to render the invisible visible.

A closer look at the structure of the torso reveals that the six casings are stacked with slight displacements. These subtle shifts generate the refined forms of the surrounding gaps. Element of the Gap I reveals these unseen sculptural presences and introduces a new phase into Shimuta’s artistic world. Visitors are warmly invited to take time to contemplate the quietly emerging forms.

 

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During my solo exhibition last year, several visitors unexpectedly mentioned the name of Morandi in relation to a small oil painting that was on view. That painting had been produced as part of an installation; it can hardly be compared with Morandi’s works, nor is it even an independent pictorial work. If one were to point out a possible similarity, however, it might be that just as Morandi depicted only a few bottles, I, too, depicted only six hexahedral forms.

These six structures did not appear abruptly. Rather, they do not represent a major departure from the continuing series I have developed since around 1990, such as pious colors and Torso House. What distinguishes them is that they are even simpler than the motifs in my previous works and are abstract to the utmost degree. Precisely for this reason, they allow for a wider range of operations.

For example: stacking them in three tiers — Torso; placing the torso inside a box — Torso in the Box; using the box as a pedestal and setting the torso upon it — Torso on the Box. In this way, I imagine and materialize various configurations that bring the mode of existence of these structures into relief from multiple perspectives and through diverse methods. As this process unfolds, the contours of things become increasingly distinct, and a world composed solely of the six structures begins to acquire a sense of reality.

Ideally, the contour of the motif and the contour of the world would overlap perfectly. For that to happen, the motif should be as abstract as possible, and the world should be as small as possible.

 

Kazutoshi SHIMUTA

 

 

Kazutoshi SHIMUTA CV

1957 Born in Fukuoka
1982 Graduated from the Painting Department (Oil Painting program) of Tokyo University of the Arts
1986 Completed Mural Painting Course 2 at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School
1988 Studied on a DAAD scholarship with Prof. Franz Erhard Walther at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (Germany)
1991 Withdrew from Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School after completing all doctoral coursework

 

▪︎ Selected Solo Exhibitions
2026　“Elements of the Space Between” LOKO GALLERY
2025　hide gallery
2025　TIME&STYLE MIDTOWN
2023　Space 23℃
2022　TIME&STYLE MIDTOWN
2009　“Torsohouse – The Morning after the Flood” / T&S Gallery
2009　“16 × 24 Pious Colors” / Akiyama Art Gallery
2009　void＋
2006　Akiyama Art Gallery
2005　“TORSOHOUSE (Idle Village)” / T&S Gallery
2005　Plaza Gallery
2002　“Overflowing Carnation” / TIME & STYLE GALLERIA
2000　T&S Gallery
1998　Kamakura Ntei
1997　Akiyama Art Gallery
1996　Gallery 360°
1994　Gallery Myu
1993　Morris Gallery
1993　Gallery gen
1992　Morris Gallery
1991　Gallery Myu
1991　Chinretsukan Gallery, Tokyo University of the Arts

 

▪︎ Selected Group Exhibitions
2011　“100 Years of Art in Matsudo” / Matsudo Museum
2008　“LVRFI” / T&S Gallery
2008　TIME & STYLE MIDTOWN
2006　“LVRFI” / Studio ONO
2005　“DJ Brand” / The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts
2003　Gallery appel
2001　“Field of Emergence/Drawing” / Chinretsukan Gallery, Tokyo
2001　“Extending the boundaries of painting: exploration of color” / Sakura City Museum of Art
2000　“Framing” / GALERIA RASEN
1997　“The Locked Room” / Gallery Myu
1996　“Requiem – Koji Enokura and 33 Artists” / Saito Memorial Kawaguchi
1992　“1st TRANSART ANNUAL” / Yokohama Business Park
1991　“Poetics of Hue” / Kawasaki City Museum