Imura art gallery, tokyo proudly announces the launch of solo exhibition of Kaori WATANABE "Good News of the Morning" on the 10th of February 2012.

Kaori Watanabe (Born in Shizuoka prefecture, 1984) completed her master's degree at Kyoto Saga University of Arts. As apparent from her activities such as showing her works at the exhibition "ZIPANGU - 31 spirited artists cutting through new territories of Japanese contemporary art- " which toured 3 venues of Takashimaya, or featuring her works in a movie, her creativity crosses the boundary of Japanese painting. She is certainly one of the most spotlighted young artists of Japanese painting collecting attention in a wide range of areas.

Watanabe concentrates to "make works that creates a kind of tension you can feel in rituals" using motifs of children. Utilizing her solid techniques established through practice of copying at university, she depicts beauty of children's clear skin, and their exquisite expression in that infantility and matureness coexist, and thus the "sanctity" of children.

She pictures "the journey of children" throughout the works at this exhibition with "Kikikirin" as its midpoint which was also shown at "ZIPANGU". The children, about to start toward the world where things are hardly easy or bright, are giving somehow anxious impression.

At the first solo exhibition in 3 years, we are going to unveil Watanabe's paintings from the past to the latest. The exhibition is titled "Good News of the Morning" bringing an image of anxiety, and fresh start and hope at the same time.

"As I have been painting figures of children, I deliberately intertwine a slight shadowy part as much as brightness into the works. This is because the world children belong to is by no means innocent, and they intuit what lies ahead them is not just full of hopes. Even though they are still tasked to grow up, end their childhood and become adults. I just earnestly hope they stand strongly with their own feet no matter how the world is harsh on them." ― Kaori Watanabe