Hino gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition entitled “soramitsu” by Sachi Hasegawa from Monday, January 16th, 2017.

It could be said that one of the most significant features of Hasegawa’s stone sculptures are the thousands of chiseled lines on the surfaces of the works, but it can also be said that the mysterious atmosphere of each piece generates a unique intensity which increases when they are gathered together as an installation. Hasegawa has never changed the materials or her processes since she was an art student and her aspirations for what she creates have also never altered. She always tries to endow her works with an invisible dimension and both presences and absences can be felt in the works themselves and also between the works. These extra “dimensions” somehow affect the way her forms are perceived giving them an unreal quality despite the fact that the subjects she selects as starting points are real objects. The mysteriousness becomes more obvious when her works are installed in one space. The reason why the artist is so insistent about using stone may be because, for her, the material contributes to the sense of mystery. Painters have explored optical illusions for many years but Hasegawa seems to be attempting to do something comparable when sculpting without visual perception, which shows her fascination with extra dimensions.

The exhibition title "soramitsu" is attributed to the Nihon Shoki, which translates as “The Chronicles of Japan”. A modern translation of the line, "soramitsu (looking from the sky) yamato no kuni (Japan)", refers to the point that the country was selected as a perfect nation by gods in the sky, and the word "soramitsu" became Makurakotoba – a poetic epithet when used in association with "yamato". This suggests the artist’s interest in unknown worlds as she chooses such a phrase that includes the word “sora” (sky, heaven), and represents a sort of sanctuary. It could also be suggested that Hasegawa aims to reaffirm her origin or faith as an artist.

Hino gallery presents a solo exhibition by Hasegawa for the first time in two years. The recent works have increased in sensitivity and are united to create an idiosyncratic sense of space in the gallery. We hope you will become aware of the many underlying senses whilst experiencing these works and the installation.

Image: "brush" 2017, black granite, 163×80×75 cm, "mirror" 2016, black granite, 49×27.5×6 cm, "saddle" 2015, black granite, 59×43×60 cm