Tokyo

Shoichi Kaneda Paintings of Plastic Model Landscapes

2006/11/10–12/2

Showichi Kaneda "Paintings of Plastic Model Landscapes"
2006/11/10(fri) - 12/2(sat)

Showichi Kaneda "Paintings of Plastic Model Landscapes"
Friday 10th November － Saturday 2nd December 2006

*Held in conjunction with Gallery Tomura Bijutsu

Opening Reception: Friday 10th November 2006, 18:00 - 20:00
Tokyo Gallery and Tomura Bijutsu are pleased to present a solo exhibition of Showichi Kaneda, an artist from Kyoto who is active all over the world, having held a joint exhibition with Liu Ye in Essen, Germany in 2005 and taken part in the Pusan Biennale this year. Viewers who stand before his work are not only impressed by the gleaming brilliance of the colours used, but also by the metaphorical elements that lie within. The works captivate with the metallic richness of their surface colours, achieved through exclusive use of shellac as well as automobile and acrylic paints, onto which he occasionally integrates stickers and decal pictures.

Already known for his impressive shark sculptures, Kaneda's new works depict crayfish. Of the two dimensional works also on display, there will be new paintings made in the same style as his earlier ones featuring national highways, further exploring the sense of scenery being like a "plastic model landscape" or a "build-you-own scenery kit". Tokyo Gallery's exhibition will focus on the two-dimensional works and Tomura Bijutsu's will be a mixture of two- and three-dimesional works.

Talking about the feelings he had when preparing for this exhibition, Kaneda said:
"This time I've been making my wrk with the aim of getting the plastic and FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) to shine more. I would like it if the reality that I see around me -- the fiction and the moments that come close to being fairy-tales (in manzai and rakugo comedy that would be the moment when people roar with laughter), those relaxed and beautiful 'lies' -- could stretch out over the surface of the FRP".

Both Tokyo Gallery and Gallery Tomura Bijutsu hope that you will come to see this exhibition by this increasingly active and fascinating artist.

Showichi Kaneda

Showichi Kaneda was born in Kyoto in 1970. Since completing his postgraduate studies in painting at the Kyoto City University of Arts in 1995, he has been based in Kyoto, where he continues to live and work. Kaneda has also been teaching in the department of painting at his alma mater since 2009. Kaneda’s paintings and sculptures, the surfaces of which demonstrate an impressive use of rich vibrant colors, both use fiber-reinforced plastic and resin as supports. They make use of a variety of different materials in skillful combinations, such as oil paint, varnish, acrylic lacquer, automotive paint, decal and surfacer. Human’s Own, a striking series of sculptures based on motifs found on F1 “shark fin” engine covers, was originally inspired by thinking about the animal-like properties of human beings. These works express something of the essential human desire for profit and the relentless pursuit of speed. In addition to being a symbol of speed, the form of the F1 machine in Human’s Own is a metaphor for the shark, an animal that dies once it stops moving – an apt representation of the reality of our daily lives.

Learn More