KIDO Press is pleased to announce an exhibition titled "gilding" by the sculptor Yusuke Tsuchiya.

The term "gilding", of course, refers to the application of gold leaf. In may also be used in the wider sense of creating a merely superficial and vain beauty.
The human heart has a tendency to beautify the store of memories deposited in the mind, as if gilding them. Tsuchiya portrays this proclivity without ridicule or criticism, by wielding esthetics imbued with a stark tranquility.
With their watery eyes and skin that looks warm and soft to the touch, the carefully molded terra-cotta figures seem to stand with a solid sense of mission even in their solitude. For this exhibition, Tsuchiya also put his hands to statues made of paulownia wood dust that show he is ascending to even higher levels of expression.

The beings engendered by Tsuchiya pose with an enigmatic look in their eyes, gazing into some faraway Buddhistic void.
Visitors who step to the front of the works to ascertain what lies at the end of their line of sight may expect to awaken to a deeper appeal.
The works convey the ingenuousness of unspoiled children or the impulsiveness of youth, in an atmosphere of pleasant enervation. This may be regarded as an outgrowth of the artist's earnest and devoted attitude toward his production.

In the piece titled "Kokochiyoi Ori" ("The Cozy Cage"), countless fine brass wires surround the head of a figure, the ends being coiled around the neck. It looks as if the head is in a cage, and this stirs the viewer's imagination: are the wires attached to the body or a part of it from the start? It appears that the cage grew like the tendrils of a vine and could no longer be removed by the hands of host. But instead of sadness, irritation, or anxiety, the look on the face shows a feeling of resignation that is somehow strangely akin to relief.
All of the works displayed at this exhibit are assembled with metal materials such as brass and rivets.
Perhaps this is because these materials are important elements symbolizing memory per se, which is a key to understanding Tsuchiya\'s art, or the soul of the artist when confronting his memories.

Tsuchiya's creations also appear in the film "Aku no Kyoten" ("Lesson of the Evil"), which was directed by Takashi Miike and is slated for release in Japanese theaters in November 2012. They will undoubtedly play a major part in the film as the works of the protagonist, an art teacher.

［作家コメント］
もし
この“今”も
これまでの“今”も
これからの“今”も
平等に金色で覆われるとしたら
こんなに悲しくて
救われることはないな、と思いました。
作品の“今”を観て頂ければ幸いです。


土屋裕介

［作家プロフィール］
Yusuke Tsuchiya

1985 Born in Chiba, Japan
2009 BFA, Sculpture, Tokyo University of the Arts
2011 MFA, Sculpture, Tokyo University of the Arts

Solo Exhibition
2010 "dreamer" Gallery SEIHO, Tokyo
2009 "your world" Gallery UMI, Chiba
Group Exhibition
2011 "PLUS THE ART FAIR 2011(KIDO Press, Inc.) Tokyo Art Club Building, Tokyo
"TAMAVIVANT II 2011 - searching now -" TAMA Art University, Parthenon TAMA, Tokyo
"Neo Buddhism" KIDO Press, Inc., Tokyo
"The 4th chat qui parle" Sakura City Museum, Chiba
2010 "The 3rd chat qui parle" Sakura City Museum, Chiba
2009 "ART AWARD TOKYO MARUNOUCHI 2009" Tokyo Station, Gyoko-dori Underground Gallery
"The real me in art and art in me" Karasawa Clinic, Tokyo
"The town of time and space - The sound of town -" TEPUKO Asakusa Pavilion, Tokyo etc.

Opening Reception 2012.9.1(Sat) 6pm-8pm