We are pleased to announce a Solo Exhibition “・/♯　La la la la la la la la la la……….　Do do do do do…　Ah ah ah..” by the painter, Narumi SASAKI. This exhibition is her first solo show after the graduation.

In the recent works, she uses canvas and oil paint as the main medium; meanwhile, often adopts the improvised and various technique of collage: combining minerals or woods, self-made ceramics or glasses, or fragments of the other canvas. The motifs suggestive of plants or the bright color appear to show vitality and mystery of nature humorously; but on the other hand, the paints fix on the canvas with the undecidable and abstract shape, as if they get around the definite and rational interpretation.

Via the various transitions of styles, SASAKI has reached the present style. But consistently, she has pursued the style that is according to her real feeling further; seeing the relationship of following 3 things: the impulse “draw something” that human fundamentally has, the metaphysical world that the impluse aims for, and the painting as an existence that appears on the halfway point between the impulse and the world.

For instance, in religious arts that she often saw while studying abroad and research in Europe, a simple action “drawing geometrical pattern without thinking anything” may have a character like the religious faith, and be a way to touch the divinity; even if there isn’t action of drawing the idol’s self. She feels something that is common to her own production in such “drawing” actions adjacent to “praying”; Namely, the expression of impulse to draw that has existed from the primitive era to the present day. Like this, in her works, we can see such various influences from many types of visual arts of all times and places, not limited to contemporary art.

And to embody such spritual energy, the following specific characters that oil paintings as flat-surface works have are essential functions for her production: Paintings assume that the viewers see the surfaces from the front. (Namely, unlike sculptures, the viewers can’t see the back side.); Oil paints are diaphanous and let us see the underlayers. For her, these characters symbolize the layers of the plural worlds. In the works in that the various materials meet organically, we can see her action of: dialogues with the materials in the space called a painting; minglings the materials; trying to touch the metaphysical world of the other side of a canvas.

This exhibition will be composed by the newest paintings including a large-size work that have seldom been seen in her recent production, and the pieces that are carefully selected from the past works. We highly appreciate that many people see the genuine debut of the painter who pursues the primitive propositions and the unknown shapes.

Narumi SASAKI
1990　Born in Hiroshima Academic
2010　Tokyo University of the Arts, B.F.A., Oil Painting
2016　The Art College of Nantes-Métropole, Painting （Exchange）
2018　Tokyo University of the Arts, M.F.A., Painting

Solo exhibition
2015　”e-cusProject”　in Urawa’s salom
2014　”wonder world”　Tokyo WonderSite Shibuya
2014　”Narumi Sasaki Solo exhibition”
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Selected Group exhibition
2018　”Art Award Tokyo2018″
2018　”GEIDAI UNDERGROUND” Echika Ikebukuro Gallery
2015　”Peco-chan” The Hiratsuka Museum of Arts
2014　”Art Award Marunouchi 2014″ Gyoko-dori Underground Gallery
2014　”Higashi Omiya Yang Artists” Higashiomiya
2014　”KobayashiMasato’s class × ObaDaisuke’s class Exchange Exhibition” Kyoto University of Art and Design
2013　”Synesthesia experimental theater” Tokyo University museum

Awards
2018　Art Award Marunouchi2018, Akiya Takahashi Prize
2018　Metro Cultural Foundation Award
2013　Tokyo WonderSite Prize、Yusaku Imamura Prize
2013　MEC Award　Prize
2013　Ueno-Geiyu Prize

Scholarship
2017　Kamiyama Foundation
2017　Hiroshima Beromgs To The World
2017　JASSO STUDENT EXCHANGE SUPPORT PROGRAM

ARTIST PROFILE: Narumi Sasaki