Exhibition

Hitoshi Kuriyama’s solo exhibition :  Something Comes from Nothing
∴0=1 - reflections 2017_fluorescent light, mirrored glass tube, electric cable_“Islamic Arts Festival 20th Session” Sharjah Art Museum, UAE

  • 栗山斉 個展 : 内なる無限の宇宙

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Hitoshi Kuriyama’s solo exhibition : Something Comes from Nothing

2019. Dec. 6 (Fri) - 22 (Sun)

Art Front Gallery is pleased to announce Hitoshi Kuriyama’s solo exhibition.
Date 2019. Dec. 6 (Fri) - 22 (Sun)
Hours 11:00 - 19:00 (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
Reception 2019. Dec. 6 (Fri) 18:00-20:00
Artist appears the gallery Dec. 8 (Sun), 15 (Sun), 22 (Sun) p.m.
Artistic Experimental Life on a Dark Planet: Hitoshi Kuriyama Something Comes from Nothing
Norihisa Kurenuma, Historian of Mentalities, Professor at Yokohama National University


As we look at Hitoshi Kuriyama’s Something Comes from Nothing, we turn into “Dark Stars” watching another “Dark Star” . Such an image came to me from my awareness of Kuriyama’s hypothesis 0 = 1, or the equality of being and nothingness, which he takes as a hypothetical postulate in his artistic experimental life. He tries to make that hypothetical postulate exist between our worlds. I also knew about Kuriyama’s interest in dark matter, vacuums, flickering and issues of life and death. And yet, the image also came to me from the Grateful Dead track, “Dark Star” (LIVE/DEAD, 1969).


Dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes / Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis
Mirror shatters in formless reflections of matter / Glass hand dissolving to ice petal flowers revolving   


An imperfectly soundless art gallery has Something Comes from Nothing installed within it. The experience of listening to its internal, invisible sounds may remind me of King Crimson’s “Lark’s Tongues in Aspic, Part One” (Lark’s Tongues in Aspic, 1973)—friction between glass and metal crystal; fine, oscillating particles anticipate possibilities, perhaps amputation, subsidence, bending or dissipation, all enclosed in a space controlled, but about to break open. Or again, we may think of King Crimson’s “Fracture”(Starless and Bible Black, 1974)— sounds of rotations suddenly erupting from tranquil accumulations of energy, without reason, leaving behind colourful, silent traces and trajectories.  

However, what a typical category LIVE/DEAD turns out to be when thinking about Kuriyama! And what an excellent premonition the image of “Dark Star” is of his Something Comes from Nothing! Like the vacuum Kuriyama prepared for exhibition, “Dark Star” is not an idealised nothingness. It undergoes synthesis, as an incomplete, moving existence. Kuriyama’s artistic experimental life brings such a process into the gallery space. Rather than discussing whether perfect nothingness, or vacuums can exist, he prefers to use real conditions of air expulsion in highly-improved air-pumps, and take these as his vacuums. He makes what is suspended in those voids visible to visitors entering this controlled laboratory. It is the same as what Robert Boyle did.   

We, who view Kuriyama’s Something Comes from Nothing, perhaps turn into incomplete “Dark Stars” too, as we try to grasp his incomplete “Dark Star”. I do not mean incompleteness in a negative sense. Neither an artist, nor a work is ever complete, nor are its viewers. All collide in a gallery (an incompletely lit, incompletely darkened room). All are existences in motion (or actual entities), with varying degrees of premonition and varying degree of limited concretization (or concrescence). That is the reason why we all try to lead artistic experimental lives.  

0=1 -filament blue / 2019 / type C print / H345 × W270 mm




Hitoshi Kuriyama
Born in Hyogo Japan, 1979
Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan

Education
2011 Tokyo University of the Arts, Ph.D. in Inter Media Art, Tokyo, Japan
2006 University of Tsukuba, M.F.A. in Constructive Art, Ibaraki, Japan
2003 Osaka University of Education, B.A. in Western Language and Culture Studies, Osaka, Japan
2001 Institute of International Education in London, Diploma in Japanese teaching, London, UK

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2014 “ON THIS PLANET,” island, Tokyo, Japan
2014 “phenomena and preservation,” SUNDAY, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “Phase Transition,” NADiff, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “impermanent preservation [sunflower project],” Art Lab Aichi, Aichi, Japan
2012 “Phenomena & Reception,” Osaka Kyoiku University, Osaka, Japan
2010 “0, 1, and visions,” Venice Projects, Venice, Italy
2009 “I am in the universe/The universe is within me,” eNarts, Kyoto, Japan
2009 “∴0=1-prelude,” magical ARTROOM, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “A point,” party, Fukushima, Japan
2008 “traveler,” youkobo art space, Tokyo, Japan
2007 “control-a room,” magical ARTROOM, Tokyo, Japan
2007 “∴0=1-trace of light,” Galerie Tokyo Humanite, Tokyo, Japan
2005 “10 days selection,” INAX gallery 2, Tokyo, Japan
2003 “obore-scape,” Art Space K, Osaka, Japan
2003 “exhibition of Hitoshi Kuriyama,” minascapes, Osaka, Japan

Selected Group Exhibitions
2017 “Islamic Arts Festival 20th Session,” Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE
2017 “Drawing Bureau Ver 1.0.0,” Drawing Bureau, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “Japan Alps Art Festival 2017,” an old warehouse in Omachi downtown, Nagano, Japan
2016 “TOROENNALE 2016,” Toro Ruins, Shizuoka, Japan
2016 “Lichtkunstfestival Aufstiege,” St. Cyriakus Church, Stuttgart, Germany
2016 “LIGHT: FIXTURES AND SCULPTURES,” LMAKgallery, New York, USA
2015 “Art Ichihara Autumn 2015,” IAAES, Chiba, Japan
2015 “Hijisai,” Tahei shrine, Tochigi, Japan
2015 “35 x 35 art project,” Copelouzos Art Museum, Athens, Greece
2015 “Art Ichihara Spring 2015,” IAAES, Chiba, Japan
2015 “DIALOGUES 1st,” Nihonbashi Institute of Contemporary Arts, Tokyo, Japan
2014 “Tokyo Designers week,” coutume, Tokyo, Japan
2014 “Power of Painting,” MONKEY GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
2014 “Unknown Nature,” Underground, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “What Dwells Inside,” S12 Galleri og Verksted, Bergen, Norway
2012 “OPEN LAB,” Art Lab Aichi, Aichi, Japan
2012 “ART SYNCHRONICITY,” Creative Hub 131, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Drifting Images,” MAKII MASARU FINE ARTS & Art Lab AKIBA, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “Resonant Vision,” Break station gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “ARTSTYLE TOKYO,” Q|b studio, Taipei, Taiwan
2011 “BankART LifeⅢ-A Small City for the Future,” Shinko Pier, Kanagawa, Japan
2011 “Drifting Images,” BODA, Seoul, South Korea
2011 “GLASSTRESS 2011 collateral event of the 54th Venice Biennale,” an old glass factory site in Murano, Venice, Italy
2011 “Share a Piece of the Earth,” IDEE SHOP Midtown, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “newnature,” G/P gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2010 “data and vision,” AKI gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2010 “New World,” island, Chiba, Japan
2009 “Treasure 4th Issue,” TOTO, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “Beppu Contemporary Art Festival 2009,” Hikari no Uta, Oita, Japan
2009 “UNLIMITED,” A+, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “BEAMING ARTS,” International Gallery Beams, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “Kotobuki Creative Action,” Marui dormitory, Kanagawa, Japan
2008 “Japan Media Arts Festival in Tsukuba,” University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
2008 “NEW BEGINNING-The show must go on!,” magical ARTROOM, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “Imaginary Museum of the O-collection - magical museum tour,” Tokyo Wonder site Hongo, Tokyo, Japan
2007 “Ino Artists Village Opening Exhibition,” Ino Artists Village, Ibaraki, Japan
2007 “WORM HOLE episode 10,” magical ARTROOM, Tokyo, Japan
2007 “Kiryu Saien 13,” Yamaji cloth-manufacturing plant, Gunma, Japan
2007 “Re-Act,” Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
2006 “Toride Art Project,” Togashira sewage-disposal plant, Ibaraki, Japan
2006 “Japan Media Arts Festival,” Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo, Japan
2005 “Art Train,” R-recycle shop, Ibaraki, Japan
2005 “ALDK,” Pana Home's showhouse, Ibaraki, Japan
2005 “Price Control,” gallery art-feti, Aichi, Japan
2004 “The Odyssey of Light,” the site of ancient city of Jerash, Jordan

Art Fairs
2015 “3331 Art Fair,” 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Tokyo Frontline,” 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “Tokyo Frontline,” 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “KIAF,” Coex, Seoul, South Korea
2010 “Young Art Taipei,” Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan
2010 “The Armory Show,” Piers 92 & 94, New York, USA
2009 “SOFA CHICAGO,” Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, Chicago, USA
2009 “Emerging Director's Art Fair Ultra #002," spiral garden, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “Emerging Director's Art Fair Ultra #001," spiral garden, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “Frieze Art Fair,” Regent's Park, London, UK
2008 “101 TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair,” Rensei junior high school, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “ART@AGNES,” The Agnes Hotel and Apartments, Tokyo, Japan

Projects
2011-2012 “sunflower project,” Fukushima and Ibaraki, Japan
2007-2016 “Ino Artists Village Project,” Ino Shopping Center, Ibaraki, Japan

Award
2007 Kentaro Ichihara's award of Re-Act, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
2006 Jury's special award of Japan Media Arts Festival, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

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