TAKURO TAMURA

5W1H, or what is commonly known as the Five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and the how, represents the most basic and fundamental questions asked in any situation. In particular, the “how” is crucial to Tamura and the way he approaches the making of his works.

Premiering in this exhibition is Tamura’s new series, Sold Painting, which stems from the question: How do we add value to a work of art? The red sticker that is often used to mark a sold work at an exhibition or art fair is perhaps the most simple and straightforward indication of value. Anyone who sees multiple red stickers at a show may immediately believe the artist and their work must be of great worth. Fascinated by this phenomenon, Tamura wondered if a caption affixed with a red sticker could be more impressive than the work itself. He explores this concept by forming a staggering grid of captions, featuring fictional artist names and artwork titles, that prompts viewers to scrutinize the way we assess artworks and their value.

In addition to these new works, Tamura expands upon two existing series—his asphalt paintings and Lovers series—which debuted in a group show held earlier this year at MAKI Gallery / Tennoz I, Tokyo. His Lovers series structurally rearranges traffic mirrors to appear anthropomorphized and this time, the previously freestanding mirror sculptures have migrated to the wall where a neglected, wistful loner stares longingly at a pair of lovers.

His asphalt paintings, which replicate sections of pavement, complete with road markings, poses the query: How can roads, essential to our infrastructure and commonly recognized on a global scale, be turned into a work of art? As the coordinates in the title of each work suggest, the artist recreates existing roads in locations he himself has visited—reproducing every mark and scuff, while working with the actual materials used to construct a road. As Tamura continued to work with asphalt, he found himself contemplating about the ground underneath. How many plants would be growing if a road had not been paved? The artist began incorporating public domain paintings of still life flowers and landscapes that were created over a hundred years ago, layering asphalt on top and subsequently scraping some areas away to reveal the potential flourishment of nature. With these works, Tamura also attempts to combine two perspectives in one painting: a road seen from a bird’s-eye view and a landscape seen head on. The artist’s Street Flower Pot series—where found planters covered in graffiti hold artificial plants growing from a bed of asphalt—continues exploring the relationship between asphalt and nature and how persistence sometimes prevails. Tamura marveled at how plants still grow from small crevices in roads, despite being smothered by asphalt. Similarly, he observed how graffiti is a perpetual existence on the streets, tenaciously returning and proliferating despite constant efforts to eradicate it. Through his work, Tamura invites the viewer to notice and celebrate these everyday examples of perseverance.

The incessant focus on the “how” pushes the artist to consider his own existence through a critical lens, and in turn, encourages the viewer to take a closer look at their surroundings. How does one capture the collective consciousness and embed the values of our times into a work of art? Tamura’s practice is driven by questions such as these, and he continually expands his own observations and interpretations on the matter. We hope you will take this opportunity to delve into the largest presentation of Tamura’s works to date.

Press release: Courtesy of MAKI.