薄久保香 / Kaoru Usukubo

Kaoru Usukubo 
Artist, Lecturer at Kyoto University of Art and Design, Nagoya University of the Arts

2004 
B.F.A. in Painting, Tokyo Zokei University
2007 
M.F.A. in Painting, Tokyo University of the Arts
2010 
Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) in Oil Painting, Tokyo University of the Arts

Solo Exhibitions
2018 
“Kaoru Usukubo Solo Exhibition” taimatz, Tokyo
2017 
“Kaoru Usukubo Solo Exhibition” taimatz, Tokyo
2012
“crystal Voyage” Friedrichshafen
2011 
“crystal moments” LOOCK, Berlin
“Brightness falls from the Air” taimatz, Tokyo
2008 
“UPlogist” Wohnmaschine, Berlin
2007 
“Wandering season” TARO NASU, Tokyo

Group Exhibitons
2016 
“Kaoru Usukubo, Hannes Beckmann” LOOCK, Berlin
2015
”Wabi Sabi Shima” Thalie Art Foundation, Brussels
2013 
“MINIMAL/POSTO MINIMAL The contemporary Japanese Art from 1970s” Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Utsunomiya
2011 
“Yokohama Triennale 2011 OUR MAGIC HOUR” Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama

There is a famous painting of a circle, triangle and square by Sengai Gibon, a monk of the Rinzai school from the mid-Edo period. There are various interpretations to this painting, such as syncretism, being an expression of enlightenment, or a symbolisation of the universe; its simplified and abstract form gently embraces our imagination. In recent days, our contact with information through the internet has greatly influenced the meaning of the word reality. There has been a shift from the reality of desiring one unwavering truth, to an abstract reality that is understood through sharing accumulations of individually perceived impressions. The figures depicted by Miho Iida are cited from famous paintings, however, their form and expressions are simplified to the minimal. The images created from her plain shapes and brushwork like that of Zen paintings, overlap the reality created from our individual memories, teasing the conscience that exists in the gaps between our layers of memories.

(Miho Iida)

We humans live on the borders of an invisible and un-solid atmosphere, and the surface of the earth decorated with various textures. This is only natural, however, the question of what exactly this world is, lies inside this natural state. We try to confirm this by verbalising it in many ways. The reason as to why artists still explore this in the modern age through paintings, is because they know, for example, of the pure surprise a trace formed by a brush may create. Mika Ieda’s paintings are reminiscent of the nature that is born and transforms on earth. She expresses powers that humans cannot fight against as cracks, making their appearance on the surface as traces of this power. These unfightable powers can also be seen during production on the canvas through the unevenness of the screen’s horizon and vertical gravity, and in the processes and time put into attempting to capture an ever-changing natural phenomenon. The depicted powers are full of hints to exploring about the world.

(Mika Ieda)

There are certain words that sound unrealistic when pronounced under the modern context, such as eternity, or immortal. We still recognise a slight weirdness in our minds and bodies when we say these words, even though we should be aware of them. In the modern society, the evanescent world that lies in scrolling through SNSs takes initiative of defining reality, rather than objects with a body. In our childhood, we learnt to direct our love towards a subject by cherishing old things, however, in a society where processes are omitted in aims to rationally optimise results, to carry on maintaining objects will instantly create a situation of surplus. But those who live in the country have realised that solely rationally satisfying our needs will not bring us happiness. Yuno discovers new relationships through toys and objects of attachment from her childhood memories. Her artwork is the energy to regenerate the connection between objects and people that we have long lost in the modern society, and eudaemonics in shape.

(Aiko Yuno)