JPS Gallery is pleased to present Nowhere —> Now Here, an influential group exhibition featuring three Japanese artists, including Arashi M, MOMO YAMA and Shintaro Inoue, whose works pay tribute to the enduring appeal of women across different eras. Focusing on the artists’ most recent works, the exhibition captures momentary expressions of women from various stages of life, offering viewers a chance to engage in critical dialogues about the significant progression of womanhood throughout the past century.
The generational gap between the artists is reflected in their creative process, resulting in three uniquely different representations of iconic women of their time. In MOMO YAMA’s portraits of classic beauties, he weaves together vignettes of memories, stories and fashion that serve to elaborate on the way of life in Paris during the 1920s. During this tumultuous time when people tried to escape the pain of the war, MOMO YAMA’s works allow viewers an intimate glimpse at a beautiful woman enjoying her fleeting moment of peace. Multidisciplinary artist Arashi M focuses on depicting a diverse group of women during the early Sh?wa period (1926-1945), a time of social reformation for women in Japan and human relationships had yet to be disrupted by technology. With a Japanese calligraphy background, Shintaro Inoue’s clean lines and colourful luminous pigments in bold combinations illustrate abstract female figures that best represent the current times. Each woman’s unique past and societal experiences are reflected in Shintaro’s choice of colour and figuration, creating a series of portraits with rich narratives.
Apart from the women’s beauty and fashion that the audience may be drawn to at first glance, the artists’ iconographic interpretations of the female icons from their respective eras illuminate the evolution of beauty standards, values and society’s way of life. Presenting a series of portraits that encourage the act of inquiry into the past events that led us to this present moment.
Arashi M
Arashi M is a Japanese artist from Tokyo who worked as an art director for animation before becoming a contemporary artist. Working with a unique colour palette he had cultivated as an art director, Arashi utilises a technique named “Air of the Times”. His soft touches of paint on the canvases embody the warmth and ambiguity of the memories he aims to express. Born in the Sh?wa era, he hopes to draw viewers back to a simpler era when electronic entertainment, smartphones and social networks had yet to exist.
MOMO YAMA
Born in Shanghai and raised in Japan, MOMO YAMA presents a unique set of works that fuse multiple cultures such as fashion, fine art, street art and entertainment. MOMO YAMA is known as the “Modern Lautrec” in the art society because his artistic style is full of aesthetic sensibilities in combination with the melancholy of life. The melancholic, elegant and somewhat mysterious women within his works take viewers on a trip back to Paris in the 1920s, Morocco and the Aegean Sea, where these women live.
Shintaro Inoue
Shintaro Inoue is a Japanese painter from Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Shintaro creates works with line composition based on Japanese calligraphy he had cultivated since childhood. By drawing traditional calligraphy lines in a range of vivid colours, Shintaro presents portraits of woman who always symbolises that moment in time. Shintaro’s thoughtful composition of these elements highlights each individual’s uniqueness and allows viewers to understand the complexities of human nature.
Opening Reception: Saturday, 10th September 2022, 5 – 8 pm
Exhibition Dates: 11th September – 9th October, 2022
Venue: JPS Gallery (Tokyo), 1/F, Tobu 2nd Building, 6-27-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
