Imura art gallery tokyo proudly presents "Farewell," a solo exhibition of Makito OKADA.

In this exhibition, Okada exhibits his new art works inspired by the tragic death of a Greek philosopher, Empedocles. This legendary philosopher is known for his suicide as he threw himself into an active volcano at Mt. Etna so that he would be unified with the nature. Okada imagines that "Farewell" was the very last word Empedocles uttered before throwing himself into the volcano. His last word prompts us to think of Empedocles's elated spirit as he aspired to be a higher being through death.

Okada is interested in our perpetual struggle to search for an answer to the question, "Who am I ?". He continues to pursue knowledge to understand "how this world is comprised of?" Okada constantly explores what kind of structure and property each object has, and how they transform themselves into something totally different through synergic effects and mutual reactions. It is analogous to the process of how the material such as graphite, varnish, and synthetized ultramarine crystalizes to become a piece of painting through various processes in the hands of an artist.

Courtesy of Imura Art Gallery