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| Katsutoshi Yuasa, An Impossible Extreme Reality #1, 2011 oil based woodcut on paper, 163 x 122 cm, 64.2 in x 48 in |
The ISE Cultural Foundation has generously awarded a grant to present a solo exhibition of contemporary woodcuts by the young Japanese master Katsutoshi Yuasa. Miraculous,
curated by Diana Ewer opens on November, 2, 2012 to coincide with New York's print week. Until January 4, 2013, he exhibits a new series of woodcuts made in the aftermath of
Japan’s devastating earthquake in March 2011. Abroad at the time, the Internet
became a vital source of information through which the artist was able to piece
together a narrative of events, and relate to the suffering his friends and family in Japan were experiencing first hand.
Katsutoshi
Yuasa: Miraculous is, in part, based on
images of natural disasters culled from the Internet, translated by the artist
into hauntingly permanent post-apocalyptic woodcuts on an epic scale: the
largest measures 8 by 10 ft. Meticulously hand-crafted, these works echo the
pixelated raster-graphic structure of digital images lifted from the web, yet Yuasa
carefully edits and filters his material. His woodcuts are the end
result of a long spiritual and creative journey through which he hopes to
crystallize the emotive character of his subjects’ inner world. Each woodcut takes
weeks to complete, as Yuasa painstakingly translates details of light and
shadow onto plywood ready for printing, allowing the works to metamorphose
through his process. The finished woodcuts exist as objects and images in their
own right, removed from the original narratives that inspired them, but still
communicating an abstract appeal of dramatic proportions. Yuasa sees this
transformation as an act of purification. The changes he makes to the images
are a means of grasping a higher truth or meaning – something miraculous –
surpassing the realities that inspired him.
Opening Reception with Sake Tasting: Friday, November 2, 2012, 6 – 8pm
Artist and Curator In Conversation:
Saturday, November 3, 2012, 12 noon – 2pm
In Conversation includes a demonstration
of the printing woodcut process by the artist
For further
an invitation, press information and preview check list, please contact me.
A full exhibition catalogue has been funded by TAG Fine Arts the artist's London based gallery and publisher.
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| Katsutoshi Yuasa, Pseudo Mythology #3, 2011, oil based woodcut on paper 243 x 488 cm, 95.6 in x 192.1 in |
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| Katsutoshi Yuasa, Slow Screaming #1, 2011, oil based woodcut with on paper 61 x 91.5 cm, 24 in x 36 in |
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| Katsutoshi Yuasa, Slow Screaming #2, 2011, oil based woodcut with on paper 61 x 91.5 cm, 24 in x 36 in |
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| Katsutoshi Yuasa, Slow Screaming #3, 2011, oil based woodcut with on paper 61 x 91.5 cm, 24 in x 36 in |
