KAZUYUKI FUTAGAWA

-Kazuyuki Futagawa

Whitestone Gallery is honoured to present a solo exhibition “Harmony in Nature” by Japaneseartist Kazuyuki FUTAGAWA. This exhibition follows his solo show at Whitestone Gallery,Beijing in 2023, showcasing two significant series, “Landscape” and “Memory”. Futagawafocuses on exploring the subtle relationship between humanity and nature, aiming to inspireviewers to explore harmonious coexistence with nature. The exhibition will additionally offera multi-sensory engagement. We invite audiences to experience Alfie Lin’s nature aesthetics,smell the woody and earthy scent from Aesop, savour herbal teas from CNSalon, and listen tothe natural sounds from Level Up Sound, a Taiwanese sound library platform. These senseswill guide visitors into the tranquil and natural imagery of Futagawa’s work. The exhibitionwill be on view from 31st August (Sat.) to 5th October (Sat.) with the opening receptionscheduled for 31st August (Sat) at 4:00 pm where the artist will be present.

Kazuyuki FUTAGAWA (b.1954) was born in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. Aftergraduating from Kanazawa College of Art, he studied Nihonga (traditional Japanese Painting)in graduate school at Tokyo University of Arts. While inheriting traditional Japanese paintingtechniques, Futagawa has dedicated years to creating art using Iwa-enogu(mineralpigments), which requires high proficiency particularly in delineating the details of apainting. These pigments, made from minerals ground into powder and mixed with glue,adhere to the painting surface. He has skillfully employed pigments to depict intricate detail.As the layers build up, the paint becomes more vivid and dense, creating a sense of depth inthe picture. He often incorporates foil into his creations, which would shimmer under varyinglighting conditions. By combining linear perspective with light and shadow, he imparts asense of perspective and texture to traditional flat Japanese painting. His work truly capturesthe scenery as seen through the artist’s eyes, reflecting the tranquility of the landscape. Hisart transcends reality, sublimating into a beautiful and dazzling spiritual landscape. Notably,his piece “A Few Seconds’ Gestures” had received the Excellence Award at the “FACEExhibition, Sompo Art Award Exhibition”, held by the Sompo Museum of Art in 2013.

In his exploration of the relationship between humanity and nature, Futagawa highlights thereality that humans are, in essence, outsiders to the natural environment. While natureprovides resources and diverse ecosystems necessary for human survival as part of itsnatural order, humans, in turn, disrupt the systems. His work seeks to explore the potentialfor mutual coexistence, offering a profound reflection on how we interact with nature. Thisexhibition features the “Landscape” and “Memory” series. Futagawa immerses himself innature, capturing natural scenes from four distinct seasons in a tranquil atmosphere. In the”Landscape” series, his delicate brushstrokes depict the forest on Yakushima Island asUNESCO World Heritage Site, Mount Fuji, Oirase Gorge etc. These scenes resonate withspirituality, not merely replicating real landscapes but pursuing an aesthetic that honors theraw essence of nature. In his recent “Memory” series, Futagawa has skillfully woven thesilhouette of portraits into his landscape compositions. The figures represent wanderinghumanity, becoming ephemeral passersby in nature, surrounded by blooming flowers andplants, lost amid grasslands and jungles. The portrayal resembles the double exposure effectin film photography, where nature retains its innocence and tranquility before humaninterference, creating surreal scenes that blur the boundaries of reality and imagination.