TSUYOSHI MAEKAWA

Maekawa first participated in the 8th Gutai Art Exhibition in 1959 and officially became a member of the Gutai Art Association in 1962. That same year, he took part in the 11th Gutai Art Exhibition and subsequently held his debut solo exhibition at the Gutai Pinacotheca in 1963. During this period, Maekawa developed his distinctive artistic vocabulary by manipulating burlap through tearing, sewing, and creating folds to construct surfaces charged with texture and kinetic tension. His compositions often feature fields of color and linear elements set against dark, earthen, or neutral grounds, establishing a rhythmic visual structure. His treatment of pigment and fabric reflects Gutai’s core aesthetic of embracing the material’s inherent qualities. Work (Nanameni) A-20 (1963) and Work 130931 (1963) stand as representative works from this formative phase.

After the Gutai Art Association disbanded in 1972, Maekawa began to work with a thinner type of hemp cloth. His palette became increasingly subdued, and in many cases, he eliminated pigment altogether to foreground the natural chromatic qualities of the material itself. The compositions grew simpler and more geometric, while delicate folds and layers emerged subtly across the surface. Works from this period received recognition at major exhibitions, including the Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan and the Japan–France Contemporary Art Exhibition. The piece Untitled 170904 (1991), featured in this exhibition, is a prime example of this refined approach. In addition, Maekawa employed cotton cloth to construct finely articulated layers, as seen in Untitled 160404 (1977), Untitled 150472 (1986), and Untitled 2002002 (2009). These works offer a poetic and restrained visual experience, evoking the sensation of viewing landscapes from above—the mountains, oceans, and terrain subtly emerging within the textures and compositions created by Maekawa.

In recent years, Maekawa has returned to burlap, amplifying the folds and protruding textures found in his early works. These richly layered compositions demonstrate his persistent determination to break conventions and continually reinvent his visual language, allowing his practice to reach a new level of maturity within a contemporary context. In Untitled 150304 (2014), fluid, river-like lines flow across the surface, while bold applications of blue, red, and yellow—evoking the energetic force of Jackson Pollock’s pours—anchor the composition at its center. On both sides, undulating blue-green textures lend the work a sense of depth and gravitas. Maekawa’s use of color here conveys a decisiveness and expansiveness, further reinforcing the commanding presence of the work.

In Untitled (2020), six small works form a minimal composition, highlighting the purity of lines and textures. This work distills Maekawa’s decades of experimental practice into a refined and meditative visual language, demonstrating his mature technique. For this exhibition, the artist has also created three new works this year: Work 2509002, Work 2509003, and Work 2509006. These pieces clearly reflect Maekawa’s continuous creative energy, with his artistic spirit remaining vibrant to this day. Looking back over his more than six decades of artistic practice—from his early Gutai period in the 1960s to the present—Maekawa has consistently pursued a rigorous exploration of his unique visual language, demonstrating an enduring and ever-deepening vitality in his art.

Tsuyoshi Maekawa was born in 1936 in Osaka, Japan, and graduated from the Design Course at Osaka Kogei High School in 1955. He officially became a member of the second generation of the Gutai Art Association in 1962. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Maekawa has exhibited extensively in Japan and abroad. His recent exhibitions include the solo exhibition Cotton Cloth at AAEF Art Center, Shanghai, China (2025); the group exhibition Worlds in Balance: Art in Japan from the Postwar to the Present at the Okura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan (2023); and the solo exhibition Tsuyoshi Maekawa: The Pioneer of Postwar Japanese Art at Whitestone Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan (2021). Maekawa has received numerous awards, including the Osaka Citizen Cultural Award (Cultural Merit) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Award at the Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan.