Tokyo

Showichi Kaneda OUR HOUSE

2021/6/12–7/17

Tokyo Gallery + BTAP is pleased to present OUR HOUSE, a solo exhibition of Showichi Kaneda. This will be Kanada's first solo exhibition in 11 years.

Showichi Kaneda was born in Kyoto in 1970. After graduating from the Kyoto City University of the Arts (Department of Fine Arts Painting) in 1995, he continued his practice based in Kyoto. He has been teaching at the Kyoto City University of the Arts (Department of Fine Arts Painting) since 2009, and became a full time professor in 2020. Kaneda uses polyester resin in both his paintings and three-dimensional work in order to achieve the glossy colors that are characteristic of his work, and uses a variety of materials, including oil paints, varnish, acrylic lacquer, automotive paint, decal, and surfacer. For his iconic series, Human’s Own, the motif of a Formula 1 racing car in the form of shark makes reference to a shark’s nature, which is to die if they stop swimming, as an allegory for the nature of humanity that continuously seeks profit or gain.

This exhibition includes three of the newest works from the Human’s Own series, and Plastic Construction, a painting series the artist began in 2015.

Plastic Construction is a series of two-dimensional works that uses materials that, like plastic, are petroleum derivatives, such as oil paints, fiberglass, polyester resin, and stickers. The subject matter comprises everyday scenes such as the artist’s yard, convenience stores, the rooftop parking lot of a mall, and the Kyoto Jukan Expressway. By placing stickers here and there, it appears to imitate the way information and icons float around in our society.

In the new work from the series Human’s Own, a sticker made by Kaneda is placed on the support of a child’s pedal car. Skillfully incorporating the undefined nature of plastic’s form while using cheap everyday materials, Kaneda pours the scenes of modern society into fluid constructs.

The title of the exhibition, OUR HOUSE, refers to a hit song by Madness, a UK ska band from the 1980s. Kaneda reflects on this song, which sings about working class life under the Thatcher administration in both a self-deprecating and optimistic way, in comparison to current social circumstances. This title reflects Kaneda’s artistic approach, which entails a return to suburban streets, documenting truths that have become neglected due to differences in social standing and circumstances among its inhabitants.



* To combat the spread of Covid-19, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP currently implements reduced opening hours and requires visitors to sign up for their choice of viewing session in advance online. Bookings can be made here.

WORKS

Title
Plastic Construction 038
Year
2019
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on canvas(wood panel)
Size
200 x 300 cm (set of 3 panels)
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Title
Plastic Construction 019
Year
2016
Material
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on styrofoam
Size
33 x 66.5 cm
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Title
Plastic Construction 026
Year
2017
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on styrofoam
Size
30.5 x 93 cm
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Title
Plastic Construction 035
Year
2018
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on styrofoam
Size
61.5 x 93 cm (30号)
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Title
P.C.044 "Kyoto Jukan Expressway 01"
Year
2021
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on cotton canvas(wood panel)
Size
120 x 160 cm
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Title
P.C.045 "Kyoto Jukan Expressway 02"
Year
2021
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on cotton canvas(wood panel)
Size
120 x 160 cm
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Title
P.C.045 "Kyoto Jukan Expressway 03"
Year
2021
Medium
Oil, FRP, polyester resin, sticker and urethane coating on cotton canvas(wood panel)
Size
120 x 160 cm
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Title
HUMAN`S OWN for kids 01
Year
2019
Medium
Pedal car, sticker, urethane coating
Size
87 x 35 x 46 cm
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Title
HUMAN`S OWN for kids 02
Year
2020
Material
Pedal car, sticker, urethane coating
Size
87 x 35 x 46 cm
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Title
HUMAN`S OWN for kids 03
Year
2021
Material
Pedal car, chrome plating, sticker, faux fur fabric, FRP, ABS resin, polythene resin, urethane resin, urethane coating
Size
140 x 60 x 45 cm
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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.

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