Katsuhiro Maeda "Hardcore of Japanism"

Katsuhiro Maeda, untitled (無題)　2010
ジャケットサイズ(300mm×300mm)
アクリル・顔料インク・パネル

Katsuhiro Maeda's newest works will be on view at Kouzome-Bijitsu gallery in Minami-Asagaia, the show will open tonight. Since his last exhibition in 2010 Maeda, whose work could be best described as Neo-Nihonga, added some somber tones to his formerly vibrant palette.

Katsuhiro Maeda, untitled (無題)　2011
S10号(530mm×530mm) 
アクリル・顔料インク・パネル

Also, last year, Maeda began to produce large format paintings one of which was in the group show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Katsuhiro Maeda, Another Reflection 2010　
S80号(1455mm×1455mm) 
アクリル・顔料インク・パネル

You can see the show until April 26th.

Wonder Seeds 2010: Katsuhiro Maeda

untitled (無題)

2009　

230mm×230mm

アクリル・顔料インク・紙

Copyright (c) Katsuhiro Maeda All rights reserved.

Amongst the one hundred budding artists, showcased in this year's Wonder Seeds exhibition held at the TWS in Shibuya, there are several whose works could grace the walls of Tokyo's better galleries. More or less arbitrarily, I would like to comment here on two of them. The first is a graduate of the Tama Art University Katsuhiro Maeda (class of 2002). The painting on display at the Wonder Site (each participant was represented by a single entry), was a non-objective composition in which small colorful shapes outlined in black were floating above the gilded Nihonga background. Because the wooden panel that served as the support was not varnished, the combination of these matte shapes with organically reflective gilding was highly contrasting and, at the same time, complimentary. Maeda found a very successful way of combining traditional Japanese art with contemporary investigations of space and color: neither upsets the internal balance of its counterpart, both are indispensable for the final work.

The second young artist is Hiroko Sasaki, I will do a separate post about her shortly.

The sale of the works from the show is conducted by the Gallery Tagboat.