Tomoo Gokita
The solo exhibition of new paintings by the Tokyo-based artist Tomoo Gokita, which expands his practice into innovative techniques and striking color palettes, the works therein marks a new era for Gokita. Renowned for pushing the boundaries of figuration, particularly in high-contrast greyscale paintings, he has turned to novel source images and materials.
The artist was struck by a pamphlet found near his studio containing simple illustrations of everyday objects. These objects were created for people with dementia as an exercise in asking the question "What is this?" Using this memory exercise, Alzheimer's patients are asked to recall the names of objects with images, just as children often do. In this way, the artist bridges the gap between signifier and signified in these vibrant, evocative creations, while playing with varying degrees of contact: the physicality of layered paper on canvas, the familiarity of the subject, and the basis of signification itself., at the same time, he developed this imagery to create colorful, fresh compositions.
Influenced by pop art, kitsch aesthetics, and music, his handmade canvases are covered with multiple layers of paper for the first time, incorporating sleeves from various vinyl records into the layers of his paintings. In doing so, the artist links his latest series of paintings to the fluidity of nature, emphasizing his versatile painting practice. The handcrafted spirit of his layered canvases also reflects his long-standing love of vintage magazines and paper-printed ephemera, with his own brand of neo-expressionist abstraction.
Tomoo Gokita
Date: 14 Sep – 21 Oct 2023
Gallery: Petzel Gallery
Address: 520 W 25th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA
・・・
#TomooGokita
The artist was struck by a pamphlet found near his studio containing simple illustrations of everyday objects. These objects were created for people with dementia as an exercise in asking the question "What is this?" Using this memory exercise, Alzheimer's patients are asked to recall the names of objects with images, just as children often do. In this way, the artist bridges the gap between signifier and signified in these vibrant, evocative creations, while playing with varying degrees of contact: the physicality of layered paper on canvas, the familiarity of the subject, and the basis of signification itself., at the same time, he developed this imagery to create colorful, fresh compositions.
Influenced by pop art, kitsch aesthetics, and music, his handmade canvases are covered with multiple layers of paper for the first time, incorporating sleeves from various vinyl records into the layers of his paintings. In doing so, the artist links his latest series of paintings to the fluidity of nature, emphasizing his versatile painting practice. The handcrafted spirit of his layered canvases also reflects his long-standing love of vintage magazines and paper-printed ephemera, with his own brand of neo-expressionist abstraction.
Tomoo Gokita
Date: 14 Sep – 21 Oct 2023
Gallery: Petzel Gallery
Address: 520 W 25th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA
・・・
#TomooGokita
