Whitestone Gallery H Queen's is delighted to present We can always talk here, a solo exhibition showcasing works by Kohei Kyomori.
The exhibition features the 'FLOWING' (2021) series, based on the Japanese concept called 'Kacho-Fugetsu' (花鳥風月)― the artistic pursuit that involves the beauties of nature.
The foundation of Kyohei Kyomori's world is the relentless exploration and reinterpretation of the decorative arts from all over the world. He has continued to interpret and redefine the history of decorative arts and express the stories in graphic forms. In his first solo show at Whitestone, Kyomoriis presenting not only new works and installations from his recent series, but also participatory works as a new approach. All works are an attempt to introduce new contexts into contemporary art.
Kohei Kyomori describes his attraction to the decorative arts as: 'the intensity of its visual narrative power and high density in the enormous amount of time poured into it by human hands.' The exhibition is titled, 'We can always talk here' and it suggests the potential as a visual language and transcendental aspect inherent to each decoration. Within it comes the prospect of overcoming cultural, linguistic, generational, and racial differences endowing the expectation of an equal and fair connection to viewing.
The 'aspiration towards traversing and transcendence' appears in Kyomori's creations in different forms. For example, the FLOWING (2021) series in the exhibition is a modern interpretation on the traditional 'Kacho-Fugetsu' concept that celebrates the beauty of nature expressed in a dripping, sensual manner. At the same time, this creates a non-Western, Asian timeline formed by the visual narrative in the artist's words: 'Intercepting the best moments in the waves of time that flows not from the past to the future, but from the future to the past and fixing it in the present.' There, time does not overshadow us, but rather comes and goes - an object that we can face and further challenge.
Something that Kyomori keeps in mind is a seamless connection through artistic contemplation that is unconstrained to a specific context. For example, in the 'FLOWING' series, Kyomori proposes a pluralistic view of the world that affirms the existence of diversity based on Japanese animism. This is illustrated through the references of Noh masks that resemble divine spirits. They also suggest that within the struggle of the demands in technology and the renewal of social customs, Kyomori changes the sense of distance between the two and explores the potential of art in the future that proposes alternative possibilities. Kyomori's works bring an unique experience to the viewers, while morphing decorative culture and reconstructing it as 'open space' for art.
With his background in research and interpretation of the decorative arts and of ancient and modern decorative arts, Kiyomori has been interpreting and redefining the history of decoration from the beginning of mankind to the present day, and presenting the stories contained therein in the form of graphic works. This first solo exhibition at Whitestone Gallery features new graphic works and installations from two series that Kyomori has been creating in recent years, as well as participatory works as a new frontier for Kyomori to introduce new contexts.
Kyohei Kyomori (b. 1985) aims to create a unique visual language by reinterpreting the ornamentation found in all forms of art from the East to the West through a contemporary perspective applied in his graphic works. Having thoroughly studied the role and nature of decoration in ceramics, architecture, clothing, and seals, Kyomori has transformed his work through a production technique rooted in the idea of handicraft. His works are the result of continuous reflection on the idea, aesthetics and history of decoration. At a time when people are losing the human aspect of fundamentally using their own hands of modeling and expressing an object, Kyomori offers an opportunity to re-investigate human activity in our digital shift.
Press release courtesy Whitestone Gallery.
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