SHIORI HORIE

Since Horie’s 2021 solo Gotoh Memorial Cultural Award Exhibition: An Overseas Training Program Achievement Showcase, A Breath Away, the artist has become a recipient of the prestigious VOCA Honorable Mention Award in the very same year, and held her solo exhibition, ”[Associated Exhibition] HORIE Shiori: Toward the Unreachable” at The Museum of Modern Art Kamakura & Hayama KAMAKURA ANNEX as part of “MATSUMOTO Shunsuke: On the 110th Anniversary of His Birth” in 2022.

On this occasion, the long-awaited major solo exhibition will present approx. 110 pieces of Horie’s never-before-exhibited watercolor works, as well as new works from her VOCA Award-winning Partial Future series.

In recent years, the artist has faced an inaugural sense of trepidation towards Nihonga (Japanese painting, which involves the use of mineral pigments). Nevertheless, despite her lingering distress, what kept her going was her motivation to paint. Subsequently, the artist would return to drawing; a medium she started to explore during her time studying in Paris. Rendered on small pieces of white paper, these works present mysterious, anthropomorphic faces, which the artist calls “scabs”. From the soft layers of vivid, overlapping watercolors to the feeling of movement captured by her brushstrokes, the subtle yet intimate character of these works seems to allude to the artist’s inner conflict and her acceptance of it. Just as scabs are emblems of convalescence, these works appear as if they reveal a glimpse of the artist’s healing process as Horie begins her journey again by re-accepting art as a fundamental part of herself.

Gifting form to the juncture between injury and recovery, these works embody one of the most universal experiences of life. The exhibition will further feature new works from Horie’s Partial Future series, which she produced following her 18-month hiatus from Nihonga, such as her 2022 VOCA Honorable Mention Award-winning work. Recognized for its overwhelming presence, the esteemed work is composed of a row of figures that pervade the entirety of the composition. Known for her mastery of the material, the artist’s unique technique and expertise offer her mineral pigment works a distinct texture that differs greatly from her drawings. Delicate and ephemeral, yet substantial and dense, these portraits signify strength in the face of a fragile existence. For this occasion, the exhibition will present new works from her series, as well as the award-winning work, Partial Future #2 - #6 (2021).