It was an autumn in last year, on October 1st, a little later from his 100th birthday when Arinori -Ichihara calmly passed away as he had achieved his goal. Arinori Ichihara is well-known for his unusual career as an artist. He was famous among Hokkaido from his early career as a haiku poet and an alpinist while he was working for a post office in Otaru. His first encounter with art was at the age of 41, when his friend sent oil painting kit and he drew using it. On 1960, he finally made his debut at Tokyo Gallery when he was 50 years old.

Ichihara’s encounter with prints was accidental and was the result of the environmental condition. Scattering paints on the floor of the post office and using metallic scraper on it, he created the scenery with layers of organic forms and accumulated metals, and such works of monotype prints got him deeply involved. It can be said that Ichihara is an artist who had been floating the world of illusion again and again over half century depending himself on the intention of unconsciousness.

The beginning of his unique artworks of metallic plate was also the combination of outcome of the accident, his curiosity and diligence as a public servant. Various objects found from his surroundings or on the way of his walking, such as dust, grains of rice and thread, print works made by uneven plate damaging with a drill and a hammer, and print works of metallic plate made of various caustics- these forms and matiere produced accidentally reminds the viewers of diverse things. Ichihara had succeeded in hugely broadening the possibility of prints. The artworks of scenery made by the monotype prints which Ichihara encountered by chance half century ago, or, the artworks seems to be created by someone’s intension, were the scenery with full of expectation. It is surprising, moreover, that such scenery resembles that we have watched again and again, whether directly or not, after March 11, 2011. The scenery within darkness with accumulation of inorganic machine parts, or the world that organic objects deeply wriggles inside is just like a view of earth falling silent with turning into rubble. It is the endless world that profound darkness lurking beneath the horizon and also is artificial space made by metallic fragments being absorbed into dazzling infinity.

The image of silent scenery, what Ichihara drew in monotone half century ago, completely foresaw our current situation, Large-sized monotype artworks of 1960’s to 1990, selected from enormous collection of Art Front Gallery are main components of this exhibition. It is the period that he tried to exceed the concept of print works by making it larger in exploring his image.

As concurrent event, the special exhibition of Arinori Ichihara (2011. Oct. 22. Sat. – 2012. Feb. 12. Sun) will be held at Otaru City Museum of Art.