‘Intersections of Cosmos’, an exhibition featuring the works of Yoshihiko Tsutsumi.
Join us on Friday, 8th December from 6-8pm at XVA Gallery for the opening of ‘Intersections of Cosmos’, a solo exhibition by Yoshihiko Tsutsumi.
Curatorial statement:
Yoshihiko Tsutsumi, a Tokyo-based Japanese artist rooted in the vibrant atmosphere of Ginza, transcends conventional artistic boundaries, seamlessly navigating 2D, 3D, and installation mediums. Influenced by the immersive environment of his uncle’s cinema billboard painting atelier in Kumamoto, Japan, Yoshihiko draws inspiration from the captivating interplay of colors and dripping marks on the studio floor. The indelible memories of classic monochrome movies to contemporary films experienced in his youth contribute to the nuanced layers and depth in his current artistic endeavors. Simultaneously, Yoshihiko boasts a distinguished career as an antique dealer, having traveled to more than 40 countries. This rich experience infuses his artwork with a unique sensibility that spans nationalities, eras, and space and time, further enriching the narrative of his creative expression. As both an accomplished graphic designer and artist, Yoshihiko’s creative process unfolds like a meticulously crafted spider’s nest, guided by an equidistant grid that shapes the evolution of lines and forms. This grid serves as a blueprint, orchestrating the sequential connection of outlines, akin to the organic process of cell reproduction found in living beings, rocks, and metals.
His work, a mesmerizing dance between macrocosmic expanses and microscopic intricacies, unveils a world where lines and colors converge, gradually crystallizing into a unique artistic vision. The layer series, an exploration of phenomena materializing through the accumulation of colors, offers a psychological molding that appears both abstract and concrete. The dichotomy in his monochromatic series, where white pencil traces dance over black canvases or vice versa, speaks to an artistic narrative transcending mere aesthetic appeal. This two-dimensional journey mirrors an architectural process, where elements are meticulously plotted and constructed, revealing Yoshihiko’s simultaneous embrace of powerful, colorful worlds and serene monochrome landscapes.
In recent years, Yoshihiko has extended his artistic prowess to large-scale live paintings, engaging with public audiences and transforming the canvas in response to the surrounding atmosphere and conversations. The resulting pieces embody a unique, evolving world shaped by the collective energy of the moment. A pivotal focal point in his upcoming series is a work painted on both sides of a transparent acrylic board. This innovative expression captures the interplay between external and internal influences, creating a ‘cosmos’ that transcends scale, seamlessly oscillating between grandiose spaces and microscopic realms.
About the artist:
Born in 1964, Kumamoto, Japan
1986 – 1992: After graduating from the department of design of college in Tokyo, dealt with many works of graphic design, logo marks and art painting as a designer and artist for many entertainment companies such as discotheques, clubs and live houses at metropolitan areas like Roppongi, Shinjuku and Shibuya in Tokyo.
1992: Moved to UK (London) to start being working as an artist and research antiques, visiting various countries in Europe. And then drawn towards the aesthetics, architecture and heritage of London.
1995: After the return to Tokyo, while continuing to work as an artist/designer, he started a new carrier as an antique dealer, specialized in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco period’s works.
Recent activities as an active artist and designer include exploring new mediums of art (methods to express), art directing and running a unique art and antiques gallery with own viewing sense at Ginza in Tokyo. He also started the logo mark and designing graphics for The Japanese Government’s related organization and more.
Active as painter, designer and an antique dealer, the work of Yoshihiko Tsutsumi utilizes a variety of base materials such as paper, vinyl, wood, leather, plaster and is drawn to using media such as paints, pencils and chalks. His genre of works range widely from painting, ready-made pieces using antique objects, installation and woodcarving.
Drawings with white pencil over a black painted canvas, or to its contrary, drawings with a graphite pencil over white surface: these monochromatic and two-dimensioned series of works can be classified as an art that leaves out “traces” of the sequence of “actions” of over-layering the dots. This series of works that at first impression seem abstract, reflects that of an architectural process in which elements are plotted and then constructed.
In the act of drawing, there is a presence of equidistant grid within the artist‘s mind that spreads like a spider’s nest. This grid works as a guideline when drawing lines and forms reproduce themselves with time. Being guided by this grid, the outlines inevitably connect in sequence, revealing the image on the surface of the material. This “trace” drawn is reminiscent of the organic process of cell reproduction of living beings, rocks and metals, and gradually materializes through the drawing process. It can be said that this is like a map of the reproduction process.
Most of Yoshihiko Tsutsumi’s colored works start from painting the base material in black. As he is facing the canvas he is about to work on, a black space absorbing the light just like a Pentablack is burnt on the back of his mind. He throws colors towards that black space, letting the color combination flow to their own dance. He captures the time within the space between colors that overlap, leaving a trace on its path.
Yoshihiko Tsutsumi struck a remarkable presence at an exhibition that took place at The Ueno Royal Museum of art in Tokyo by making an enormous canvas measuring 11 × 5 mts. built by stitching 5,000 pieces of leather together and painting over it. This big size leather work called “SAMSARA” by NU-LU a Joint production (Collaboration unit mix of painting with leather sewing technique) gained immense public attention and notoriety. And in December 2015, he published works that linked oil painting and wood carving at Nerima Art Museum in Tokyo.
Recent activities as an active artist and designer include exploring new mediums of art (methods to express), art directing and running a unique art and antiques gallery with own viewing sense at Ginza in Tokyo. He also started the logo mark and designing graphics for The Japanese Government’s related organization and more.
In recent years, his solo exhibitions and live paintings have been held for many audiences in large halls like Tsukiji Hongwanji, Terrada-G1 and B&C HALL, Hankyu Men’s Tokyo , Matsuya Ginza in Tokyo etc.
About XVA Gallery
XVA Gallery is one of the leading galleries in the Middle East that specializes in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran, and the Subcontinent. Exhibitions focus on works by the region’s foremost artists as well as those emerging onto the scene. The gallery’s artists express their different cultural identities and perspectives while challenging the viewer to drop prejudices and borders.
XVA Gallery exhibits both locally and internationally; collaborating with galleries and participating in international art fairs, such as Art Basel Hong Kong, SH Contemporary,Singapore Art Fair and Abu Dhabi Art, in order to further expose Middle Eastern contemporary art. XVA Gallery and XVA Art Hotel are located in Dubai’s heritage district, now called Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood. XVA founded and organized the Bastakiya Art Fair from 2007- 2010 as part of its commitment to raising the profile of contemporary art practice in Dubai.