A box suggests that there is something waiting to be opened and discovered; or embodies the concept of everything a box can accommodate. The act of painting sometimes shares these characteristics. Colors are similarly placed or removed, covering some objects in the image. This theme is a type of metaphor - in the presentation, there really is no box that can actually be opened; what I want to grasp is those relationships of discovering and being discovered that are inherent in this framework.

At first glance, the main theme for this exhibition seems to be landscape scenery. However, I do not necessarily want to simply paint figurative landscape paintings; on the contrary, within the houses, sky, trees, and other subjects in the image, I want to express the problems that arise from the layers and framework of painting. This is similar to these subjects encountering the same problem we do in real life of being limited to the constraints of time and space. Most of my more recent works were born from this idea. They reflect another side to the hustle and bustle of modern lifestyles, leading to a vast, open space for imagination.

Perpetuating the diversity of creative thinking, some works appear to have been drawn with the style of figurative oil paintings. They do not necessarily attempt to reproduce an image, but present an observation of an actual problem. In the heavy stacking of numerous layers, some of the larger paintings present distant and deep scenes similar to those found in ink and wash paintings. However, in the creative process, this aspect primarily aims to open up the possibilities of space. Simultaneously, this is the problem of a painting’s completion level; something that I’ve always had concerns about: in what type of experience is a painting-like work considered to be complete? Therefore, in these works, there are many whose colors surface in layers at the border. For this exhibition titled, “Box,” I want to highlight the process within these completed images. These processes allow the problem of time to appear all at once. These problems do not necessarily only belong to the subjects in the painting, but perhaps even more so to those of objects with abstract meanings. As a result, it is my opinion that painting does not actually have any abstract or figurative problems. In reality, those discovered objects are being abstractly presented. In the end, these objects become those experiences that carry a certain degree of sensation.

For this exhibition, there will also be a few three-dimensional works being showcased. Although these works are three-dimensional, their mass is derived from a stacking of layers. Therefore, they can still be categorized as paintings. Furthermore, some of these works consist of textual symbols and sounds. The sounds incorporated into the work are like colors that can be felt, just like the phonetic relationship between thought and language. Therefore, although this exhibition’s artworks may seem like paintings, they are actually more an amalgamation of numerous expression forms.

The landscape appearances depicted in these images and works are created through the stacking of layers. The presentation for these themes and propositions are akin to what we find in the relationship of opening a lid, looking out into the distance at a house, or viewing outwards from within an interior - we discover the permanent objects and signs in our lives. These experiences and deep, hidden realms will remain amongst us forever, much like how we will always try to discover the profound relationships amongst those objects.