KOKI ARTS is proud to host Akiko Mashima's solo exhibition, EXISTENCE. This exhibition will showcase 3 new works, including a large-scale sculpture. Akiko Mashima is a sculptor who uses wood as her main medium, and has been working and exhibiting (e.g., OK Harris Works of Art) in New York for over 30 years.
The usage of color in Mashima's new works is what makes them distinctive from her past works. The painted inner side creates an inner space within the work. This series of work experimenting with strong colors is a new approach for Mashima. These works that were created with a strong consciousness of three-dimensional space enables the viewer to feel an existence of a new space.
Akiko Mashima had a show of her drawings at KOKI ARTS in 2012, and this will be her second solo exhibition at KOKI ARTS. This will also be her first time exhibiting her sculptures in Tokyo since the Musashino Art University 80th Anniversary Exhibition "The Witches' One Times One" (curated by Akihiko Takami) in 2008.
Artist's Statement
For the past few years, I have been creating both sculptures and drawings. Although they are dimensionally different, my intentions remain the same. My drawings are the result of expressing the image of three-dimensional space without any limitations of medium, whereas the process of intimately sharing two-dimensional space with the medium results in my sculptures. I am interested in expressing the three-dimensional feeling (volume, side) through both two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds. This however does not only mean 2D or 3D, but also involves the concept of existence and reality. Regarding these experiences, I have added color to my new works. I have used color in my wooden pieces in the past, but this will be my first time acknowledging the works to have a colored side. I would like to see how the colored sides, the pieces, and space will all respond to each other in a gallery setting, and at the same time wish the existence of space itself to be emphasized. When facing the work and identifying the existence of many things, I feel as if I am immersed in the space. I believe this leads to confronting myself. Even though each viewer may experience something different when standing in front of the works, I would be extremely happy if the viewer is able to discover something within himself/herself. I wish to create a space where the works approach the viewer.
Akiko Mashima
