NORITAKA TATEHANA

Under the Sun and Moon will be Tatehana’s tenth solo exhibition at KOSAKU KANECHIKA. Like his past exhibitions, this presentation reflects cultural values emerging from a reconsideration of Japanese culture from a modern perspective. Serving as the center pieces of this exhibition are paintings and sculptures with sunlight and moonlight motifs. These works are drawn from Buddhist iconography of solar and lunar disks possessed by the Nikko Bosatsu (Sun Bodhisattva) and Gekko Bosatsu (Moon Bodhisattva), two spiritual attendants located on the right and left of the Yakushi Triad, a prevalent theme with Buddhist statues. To commemorate Tatehana’s tenth solo exhibition at the gallery, we present both new pieces and artwork from the artist’s past archive, from works created prior to the opening of KOSAKU KANECHIKA to pieces never before shown at the gallery.

In this exhibition, Tatehana continues to explore the concept of binary homogeneity that first emerged in last year’s solo exhibition ‘Syncretism.’ The artist sees this view of homogeneity, which contrasts with the Western idea of binary opposition, as something that is Asian, and was uniquely cultivated in Japan. Tatehana attempts to reinterpret this in a contemporary context through the imagery of his artwork. The creative process of ‘rethinking,’ which is central to Tatehana’s practice, similarly embodies a redefining of traditional values in a contemporary context, and is the enduring link between his various past series and this new body of work.

Tatehana provided the following statement regarding this exhibition.

Under the Sun and Moon was created by reevaluating my artistic career and reconfiguring past works as an exhibition.

My practice has been based on visualising uniquely Japanese values. This can be seen in Camellia Fields, in which I traced my memories and used views of life and death as a theme, Traces of a Continuing History, in which I created a sculpture of a skeleton modelled after myself as a Buddha, and Descending Painting, which was inspired by the iconography of Raigo-zu depicting Amida Buddha and a host of bodhisattvas descending on a cloud to meet the faithful at their moment of death.

Looking back on these works once again, I felt that they really reflect the things that were familiar to me and the environment I grew up in. My work as an artist is a dialogue that I have with other versions of myself that exist in my memories. I believe the resulting artwork is the scenery that emerges from that process and the intersection of past and present.

__I aim to look back on the past and distill my creations, and then paint new scenes on a slightly different canvas.

Tatehana’s creative practice is characterised by how it connects his observations and studies of history and the present to the future, and this comprehensive exhibition features an overview of the artist’s activities up to the present day. The exhibition features approximately thirty new works and fifteen archival pieces by the artist. We cordially invite you to Under the Sun and Moon at KOSAKU KANECHIKA.