GROUP EXHIBITION

This exhibition situates abstraction in Asia not as a derivative extension of Western Modernism, but as a parallel and deeply rooted discourse shaped by calligraphic traditions, post-war reconstruction, transnational travel, material experimentation, and contemplative philosophy. Through painting and sculptural relief, the artists in this presentation demonstrate how abstraction in China, Japan, and Korea has developed through distinct yet interconnected trajectories — where East meets West, method meets materiality, and spiritual contemplation intersects with social consciousness.

The exhibition’s conceptual framework draws upon the Japanese principle of SHUHARI(守破離), a structure of learning and mastery that translates as “to follow, to break, to transcend.” In its first stage (SHU 守), tradition is absorbed and internalised; in the second (HA 破), conventions are questioned and disrupted; in the third (RI 離), transcendence emerges as a personal and autonomous expression. Complementing this progression is SHIBUMI (渋み), an aesthetic sensibility rooted in restraint, quiet depth, and understated elegance. Together, these concepts offer a lens through which to understand the evolution of abstraction across Asia — disciplined yet exploratory, minimal yet expansive, meditative yet intellectually rigorous.

Katsuyoshi Inokuma’s practice, spanning decades, reflects the emotional and material intensity of post-war Japanese abstraction. His works move between chromatic force and meditative restraint, revealing abstraction as both expressive and contemplative. Through layered surfaces and expansive gestures, Inokuma negotiates structure and dissolution, anchoring the exhibition in historical depth while resonating with contemporary urgency.

Liu Ke engages abstraction through spatial ambiguity and architectural fragmentation. His compositions suggest landscape and constructed space without settling into representation. Drawing from contemporary Chinese discourse on abstraction, Liu’s works balance structural clarity with atmospheric openness, reflecting both inherited traditions and global contemporary influence.

Masayuki Tsubota approaches abstraction through repetition and material presence. His relief-like surfaces accumulate through a disciplined process, embedding time into form. The physicality of his works invites slow viewing, where subtle shifts in texture and shadow become sites of reflection. In Tsubota’s practice, the method itself becomes meditation.

Soonik Kwon’s practice foregrounds repetition and tactile intervention. Through sustained engagement with the surface, he transforms the act of painting into a durational process. The resulting works evoke stillness and introspection, aligning with the contemplative ethos that underpins the exhibition.

For Tetsuo Mizu, abstraction unfolds through geometry and coded visual language. Known for his engagement with maritime signal flags, Mizu transforms systems of communication into painterly compositions. Influenced by his travels in Europe, his work reflects a cross-cultural dialogue between post-war European abstraction and Japanese spatial sensibility. The flags, once functional markers across oceans, become metaphors for movement, exchange, and transnational identity.

Together, these five artists reveal abstraction not as a singular movement, but as an evolving field shaped by philosophy, geography, and material inquiry. From disciplined structure to rupture and transcendence, East of Abstraction traces how modern and contemporary Asian artists continue to expand the language of abstraction—grounding it in both historical consciousness and present-day experience.