Ai RYUMON, currently lives and works in Kyoto, completed master course of oil painting at Kyoto City University of Arts in March 2009.
This is her first solo exhibition in our gallery.
She has already acquired a reputation in Japan as well as abroad for her "Doll series"and "Layer Tights series" which are represented with vivid colours, audacious composition and her neutral viewpoint for the girls of same generation.
The exhibition features her new works from one of "the ceremonial occasion series", "Noshi-gami", which means "gift wrapping paper" in Japanese.
We have a gift-giving tradition for someone who has done something for you, like a teacher and boss, also one's parents now.
And we wrap the gift beautifully with Noshi-gami as is the custom.
Formally, this wrapping paper should be tied with strings.
However, this custom is simplified, we print this strings on the paper.
"The Japanese formalized custom " that RYUMON feels interest,she thinks that "Ready made printed Noshi-gami" is one of the representative things of this "Japanese formalized custom ".
RYUMON represents this curious custom, encoded image with her sense.
The eye to stare at the present age of RYUMON is always calm and shrewd.
We exhibit about 10 new works included "Noshi-gami" measuring nearly two-meters tall in this exhibition.
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“Noshi-gami”, the formal gift-wrapping paper for packages, which we can find recently, in supermarkets and convenience stores.
A long time ago, there was a convention of giving gifts in Japan; one attached the dried abalone to a present and “tied” with strings.
“Noshi-gami” derives originally from this manner for special gift, and now this formalized custom is prevalent and popularized.
An act “tying” in my daily life is to tie a present box with a ribbon or to tie my hair up in every morning.
In our daily life in which the style of everything is constantly changing , and the habitude has become custom, and then it became tradition.
I think that the same can be said for fashion and for traditional event. I am interested in the culture itself, which is ever changing, and its process.
I introduce our daily current sense into the image operated as this formalized and traditional symbol, in other words, I would like to show the both contrastively, then I would like to be conscious of these meanings and acts.
- Ai RYUMON -
この度イムラアートギャラリーでは「龍門藍展」を開催いたします。
京都市立芸術大学大学院を修了したばかりの龍門藍。これまでに「お人形シリーズ」「レイヤータイツシリーズ」など、同世代の
女性を客観的に見つめ、龍門の作品の最も注目すべきヴィヴィッドな色づかいと大胆な構図でオリジナリティある世界を表現してきました。その圧倒的な絵画は、日本だけでなく海外でも注目され、京都の若手で最も期待できるアーティストと言えます。
今回は、龍門が新たに取り組んでいる「冠婚葬祭シリーズ」のひとつ「のし紙」からイメージを得た新作「のし髪」シリーズでギャラリーを演出します。
龍門が興味を覚える「形式化した日本の習慣」。その代表的なもののひとつ、現代社会では当たり前のように使われている「印刷されたのし紙」。その記号化されたイメージに、龍門の感覚がミックスされた「のし髪」とは・・・。龍門の現代を見つめる目は、常に冷静で鋭い。
本展では200cmの大作「のし髪」を含めた新作約10点を展示する予定です。
勢いある龍門藍の注目の個展を是非ご覧ください。
作品「のし髪」について
「最近ではスーパーマーケットでもコンビニでも購入できるのし紙。
もともとは、贈り物に貴重品である伸しアワビを添えて贈るという習慣や、”結ぶ”という行為が形式化して、ひろく一般的になったものらしい。
同じ”結ぶ”ことで自分にとって身近に感じるのは、友達へのプレゼントにリボンを結んだり、毎朝の髪を結う行為だ。
常に変化を続ける日常のスタイルの中で、いつの間にか習慣が風習となり、伝統になったもの。
ファッションや伝統行事などにも同じ事が言えるが、私はそのように変化する文化そのものや、その過程に興味を持っている。
形式化し、伝統的な記号として作用するイメージに、日常的な現在の感覚を取り入れ、対照的に示すことで双方の意味や行為を意識化したい。
- 龍門 藍 -