THIS AUTUMN, from 12 November to 25 December 2022, the residents and visitors of the city of Onomochi in Japan will be able to attend the free exhibition organised by Onomochi City University Education & Research project.
Curated by Japanese artist Yutaka Inagawa, whose experimental challenges presented in various international mini-lab exhibitions, has set an established prominence in the art world. “eASY mECHANISM / add” is set to be a multi-dimensional display, consequently, this is the reason for the juxtaposition in the title itself. Composed of Japanese and English words, it underlines the strategic complexity of the artist’s vision.
Concept image for eASY mECHANISM | 符と思う
The presentation will be seen in a former house that has now been converted into an art space, giving the atmosphere a sense of connectivity and complexity within the expansive landscape that defies easy categorisation in Inagawa’s fictitious realms.
In the process of developing the production, the artist once again delivered a plethora of mediums, varying in forms from new ethereal video creations and digital prints to sculptural configurations, and even reworked paintings.
Unitary painiting #01
Infused amongst multiple everyday influences, including the immediate environment and societal concerns that “serve as a springboard for approaching a realm that is overwhelmingly elusive”.
In contrast, the idea of digital skin is brought to life in a series of satin prints. Digitally accelerated hues and textures that constitute the malleable cyber materiality embellish the high-sheen substance of these exquisite fabrics.
Unitary painiting #03
A notable piece is the 18-minute long, single-channel video titled Meet the Sealion. Comprised of 23 segments corresponding to a series of poetic scripts derived from heated tweets Inagawa received earlier this year, it was filmed in a residential house of the 20th-century artist and mentor Wasaku Kobayashi located in Onomochi – still persevered with the original furniture and houseware that serves as a personal memento to him and his family.
Lastly, it is important to take note of the Sculptural Pedestal display – a series of unitary creations responsible for the pervasive sense of entropy throughout the project and restore the natural interaction flow between the artwork and the gallery’s physical setting.
Large satin print as a digital skin
Meet the Sealion, 2022 (video still)
This ultimate concept of dissolving the binary nature of the perceptual system creates a prosperous and multifaceted sensory experience that will undoubtedly immerse the guests into Inagawa’s abstract universe.
by Zlata Kryudor
