imura art gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Taro Yamamoto who propounds 'Nippon-ga'. In Nippon-ga, Yamamoto restructures the intellection of traditional Japanese painting from a viewpoint of present day and paints the modern multi-layered and chaotic Japan society with humor and affection.

He exhibits the series of Nijyuushi-sekki (the 24 divisions of the solar year) that is the traditional Japanese calendar, in this exhibition. Mr. Koyama who is well known as TV script writer commissioned Yamamoto to produce this series and decided to use for name card designs of the staffs of Shimogamo Saryo, the traditional Japanese restaurant where Mr. Koyama is the head and producer. Furthermore, for Mr. Koyama's strong feelings for Kumamoto, his hometown, he has been involved in many projects in relation to Kumamoto and he was engaged in the invention of "KUMAMON", the most popular official mascot character for Kumamoto prefecture. Yamamoto also is originally from Kumamoto, due to this, the collaboration in this exhibition was actualized.

Nijyushi-sekki is that people of former days separated the four seasons to 24 divisions: dividing spring, summer, autumn and winter into six each, and has used as the calendar to cohere to Japanese people's livelihood from of old. Each division has the name and each event is still inherited dearly. It can be said that the scene is watched only in Japan having sensitive sense regarding seasons in daily life.

It is the right mind itself of 'Nippon-ga' that the series was restructured the old calendar by Yamamoto's original viewpoint. In this exhibition, all 24 seasons added new 6 works to 18 works had already exhibited in Kyoto are displayed and express both the beauty of the four seasons not to change and the sight of Japan to go to change.

Courtesy of Imura Art Gallery