Japanese artists in contemporary exhibition reflect on their work

Artworks by Keitoku Toizumi and Hiroya Yoshikawa

In the midst of the Japanese Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Sands Gallery, Level 6 of The Grand Suites at Four Seasons, two outstanding artists, Hiroya Yoshikawa and Keitoku Toizumi, have taken center stage, providing a captivating blend of tradition and imagination.

Hiroya Yoshikawa, born in Kyoto in 1967, proudly carries on the legacy of his family business, Yoshikawa Sensho. With a focus on the art of yuzen dyeing, a technique cherished for 380 years within the realm of kimono design, Yoshikawa’s craftsmanship is marked by meticulous attention to detail and a profound dedication to preserving this time-honored tradition.

Growing up within the walls of Yoshikawa Sensho, he was immersed in the captivating world of kimono-making, where the delicate beauty of silk and the intricate techniques of yuzen dyeing became a part of himself.

Yuzen dyeing, a technique that has thrived for 380 years, holds a special place in his heart. The silk, introduced alongside techniques from China, has become the canvas for the creation of kimono, known as gohuku.

“My goal, and one of the defining characteristics of my gohuku work, is to provide a unique sense of transparency and depth, achievable only through the application of traditional techniques on high-quality silk,” Yoshikawa said, in a reply to the Times.

While the world of art often focuses on conceptual ideas and messages, Yoshikawa acknowledges the importance of capturing the essence of beauty, stating, “I think it is necessary to have beauty that can captivate people’s hearts and minds, so I do not create my work with an awareness of trends.”

Beyond aesthetic appeal, Yoshikawa’s work is a tribute to the profound history and culture that is intertwined with the fabric of Kyoto. He challenges himself to express the “beauty” and “glamor” of women not as kimonos, but as works of art, using traditional techniques. With the technique of yuzen dyeing, Yoshikawa aspires to “deliver lustrous messages that are concerned with inviting women’s deepest pleasures and intelligence into a beautiful world.”

The other artist in the exhibition, Keitoku Toizumi, born in Osaka in 1979, is renowned for his Pink Army series, a collection that masterfully depicts the delicate balance between reality and fiction. In this exhibition, his primary focus is on the artwork titled ‘Tender Heart.’

According to Toizumi, he aims to explore different “forms of expression in addition to the tableaux I make, and this work is one of them.”

“I wanted to create a different work, as I have an impression that many of the edition works we see nowadays are reproductions of the original. The original tableau [was] completed as a two-in-one set, but this work, in which the two images are fused together using lenticular printing, is the final form as I envision it,” the artist added.

The ‘Tender Heart’ artwork consists of two images fused together using lenticular printing, resulting in a final form that embodies the artist’s vision. By incorporating additional expressive elements into edition works, which are not achievable in traditional tableaux, the artist enhances the originality and uniqueness of these pieces.

Asked by the Times for his take on the city’s art scene, Toizumi said, “In the Cotai area, the whole city looks like a huge artwork, and I felt that the passion was incredible. Although the number of works I exhibited this time was not that many, I felt a desire to create work that would not lose this passion.”

As visitors wander through the Sands Gallery, they are invited to embark on a dual artistic experience. Yoshikawa’s meticulous yuzen dyeing transports them to a world of tradition and grace, while Toizumi’s imaginative ‘Tender Heart’ series blurs the lines between reality and fiction, inspiring introspection and wonder. Staff Reporter