LEE CHAE, KATSUYOSHI INOKUMA

Whitestone Gallery Taipei is pleased to announce a dual exhibition Melody Blue by Japanese artist Katsuyoshi INOKUMA and South Korean artist LEE Chae. Both artists use blue as the primary colour tone on their canvases, creating an elegant and variable blue through delicate layering techniques. The exhibition features several of their latest works from recent years and runs from July 13th to August 24th, with an opening event on July 13th at 4 pm, where the artists will be present. Additionally, there will be a live musical performance at the opening. We cordially invite you to join the event and experience a refreshing summer blues moment.

Katsuyoshi Inokuma (b.1951) transitioned from concrete expression to abstract art in the 1990s. His IN BLUE series, which he began in 1993, showcases this evolution. Initially characterised by vibrant colours dripped onto canvases, his more recent works feature white, black, yellow and other coloured rectangular shapes intertwining harmoniously with blue, creating a dynamic interplay of graduated and blended hues. Plentiful layers of blue are based on a pink under layer and overlaid with multiple shades of blue by the artist. The artist then employs sandpaper to polish the surface, incorporating coffee powder into the oil paint to create varied textures. Ultimately, ultramarine blue dominates the surface, becoming emblematic of Inokuma’s distinctive blue (Inokuma blue). The beauty and serenity of the paintings engage the audience, inviting them to experience the profoundness and tranquility of blue.

Lee Chae (b.1989) interprets blue, often regarded as a “cold” color, as embodying the calmness of winter, awaiting the arrival of spring. Lee meticulously applies each stroke on canvases with a delicate technique, painting in silence to layer thin colours and slowly erase them without leaving any traces. This repetitive creative process resembles a meditative action.

The exhibition features Lee’s The Blue Flower and _Afterimag_e series. Inspired by the perpetual cycle of life seen in the flourishing and fading of flowers and trees in nature, this serves as a profound example of the artist’s pursuit of artistic inspiration. In The Blue Flower series, the artist captures the essence of bloom and fade through symbolic and abstract representations, reflecting the spirit of realisation. The natural elements, such as petals, branches, trees, and forests, are realised on canvases of various sizes, each portraying a rhythmic pose. LEE’s repetitive painting process layers time traces onto the original marks. The overlaid lines and shapes form layers that construct the Afterimage series, where the diffusion of shapes transforms into a profound visual memory. This approach mirrors an essential shape engraved deeply in his mind. LEE aims to express the connection between actions and thoughts through his art.

For Inokuma, blue can evoke the most profound sense of spatial depth. Although blue appears quiet, it ultimately reveals a captivating and brilliant texture. LEE believes that blue, reminiscent of the vastness of the night sky, captures the true essence of the human heart and emotions. The delicate painting skills of both artists create profound and meaningful images on canvas, touching the audience’s inner feelings, as if playing a deep, resonant blue melody.

Katsuyoshi Inokuma graduated from Yokohama Art Institute in 1970. He received several prestigious awards, including the Shigeru Aoki Exhibition Award in 1996 and the Fukushima Prefectural Art Exhibition’s Silver Medal, and the Kiyoshi Saito Award in 1998. His works are part of collections at institutions such as the Fukushima Prefectural Medical College, the Hamatsu Hotel in Koriyama City, and the Shigeru Aoki Memorial Exhibition Committee, among others. LEE Chae received a Master’s Degree in Aesthetics from Hongik University in South Korea in 2017. He has recently held solo and group exhibitions in South Korea. His works are included in collections such as the Government Art Bank, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the Lotte Hotel World in Seoul, and the LF MAESTRO brand collection, among others.