2021年3月8日 ー 2021年3月27日March 08, 2021 - March 27, 2021
ヒノギャラリーでは2021年3月8日(月)より「中村功 新作展」を開催いたします。
1970年代より作家活動を続ける中村は、その制作のほとんどを抽象絵画に向けてきました。そこには、平面という限られた空間に、構造や形態、また色彩といった至極シンプルな要素だけで、自己を超越するような時空を創出できるのではないかという、作家の期待と信念を見ることができます。そして、その試みにより生み出された一連の絵画を、作家は《意勢》と名付けました。
1980年から90年代、中村は画面の向こうに存在し得る不可視の世界へ到達したいと、キャンバスへ向かいました。言い換えればこれは、画面を覆い尽くすほとんどが自己によるもの、主観の域を超えないもので、その先の未踏の領域への羨望と憧れがそこにはあったのかもしれません。しかし、2000年代になると、画面の主体は徐々に自己から社会(現実)へと変化していきます。それにより制作も「描く」から「流す」といった受動的な行為へと変わっていき、より偶然性を尊重した画面を目指すようになりました。もちろん、作品をつくり出すのは作家自身なので、自己を完全に切り離すことはできないのですが、中村は社会や自然の中で起こる外的な事象を知覚することで、例えば、意図せず画面に現れる形象やマチエールに反射的に対応することで、主観を弱体化させ、結果的にキャンバスに滞留した色や形を作品としました。この頃の空間意識が、画面の向こう側からもっと手前の表面へと移っていたことも、制作における変化の一因といえるでしょう。
自己に潜むイメージの世界から、より身近な社会(現実)へと変遷した中村の視点は、近年、それらを凌ぐ「視えない外界」へとさらに移っていきます。この10年ほどで作家は、その世界を単なるイメージではなく、実在するのではないかという確信を持つようになったといいます。それが中村の内的な部分に帰属することは間違いないのですが、作品の中の自己はさらに減退し、それに代わって、自然を含む大いなる力が画面を満たしていく。近作がより激しさをともなった動勢を呈していることからも、それらは自己とも社会ともいえぬ何かしらの力が作家の身体に作用し、描かされできたものという印象すら受けます。視覚で感じ得る以上の蠢きを放つ作品は、「視えない外界」を感取した中村の新たな《意勢》の様相なのかもしれません。
ヒノギャラリーでは2年ぶりとなる今回の個展では、横3メートル近い大作を含む新作絵画を展示いたします。どうぞご高覧ください。
*新型コロナ感染拡大防止のため、オープニングレセプションは控えさせていただきます。ご来廊時はマスクを着用くださいますようご協力をお願いいたします。また、開廊時間を11:00〜18:00と変更しておりますのでご注意くださいませ。今後の状況によっては会期、及び、開廊時間が変更になる場合がございますので、あらかじめご了承くださいませ。
Hino gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Isao Nakamura from Monday, March 8th, 2021.
Most of Nakamura’s works have fallen into the category of painterly abstraction since he began his artistic practice in the 1970s. This suggests that he has significant expectations and beliefs that there is still some undiscovered time and space, which transcend his imagination and that he, himself, cannot even visualize: but could be created through the juxtaposition of very simple elements such as composition, figuration and colour. This inquiry led to the production of a series of paintings entitled “ISEI”.
During the 1980s and into the 90s, when facing a canvas, Nakamura would attempt to reach an “unseeable” side that he thought must exist beyond the picture plane. It could be said that the paintings he produced at that time were generated within himself and did not in any way attempt to deny subjectivity. The artist must have been aspiring and longing for the “unseeable” side.
From 2000 or so, the subjects in Nakamura’s works changed gradually: sometimes they were self-referential and sometimes they reflected actual elements of things in society. His processes also changed and shifted from an active to a more passive approach, where he learned to value the inevitability of happenings on canvas. It is always hard to silence the artist’s ego but Nakamura attempted to play down his personal intentions by perceiving exogenous phenomena that occur in society or nature, for example, by responding reflexively to unpredictable forms or matière qualities that naturally appear on the canvas. Nakamura allowed those resulting colours and forms to remain as part of the work. The artist’s consciousness of the space of his work was transformed from beyond the screen to the surface of canvas around this time and it may also have contributed to the changes in his making process.
The subject of Nakamura’s work, which shifted from an imaginary hidden world to something more tangible or actual, and then continued to change over the years to an ‘invisible external world’ that surpasses everything. For the past 10 years, Nakamura has had a sort of certainty that this world isn’t only in the imagination, but that it actually exists. It is undeniable that this adheres to the artist’s inner psychological mindset, however, subjectivity seems to be reduced more in his recent works and instead, it appears that those paintings are somehow filled with an enormous force including the force of nature.
Nakamura’s latest paintings are more vigorous and appear to embody a stronger sense of movement. It feels there is some undefinable external force, which neither comes from the artist nor society, and somehow physically empowers the artist, almost as if he’s being manipulated by something other: some more powerful, unfathomable force perhaps. These paintings, which engender a physical sense of what may be construed as “wriggling” that is not only sensed visually, present a new aspect of “ISEI”, where Nakamura’s ‘invisible external world’ becomes perceptible.
Hino gallery will be presenting a solo exhibition by Nakamura for the first time in two years. The show consists of his most recent works including a large-scale painting, which is approximately three meters wide. We hope you will enjoy it.
*To prevent the spread of COVID-19, no opening reception will be held. Please wear a mask when you come to the gallery. Also, please note that our regular opening hours have changed to 11am to 6pm. The period of the exhibition and opening hours may change according to future circumstances. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.