Since Hideaki Kawashima held his first solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery in 2003, he continued painting abstract portraits. In his paintings, only the face floats in the air with plain background, and trailing long hair that seems to express the ghostly atmosphere allows us to imagine more of a human soul rather than human beings. The artist has called them his self-portraits. However, around 2010, he started to feel the urge of making his self-consciousness that bloated as a result of his introspective gaze at himself back to neutral state and turned his perspective towards other people. Each portrait gained bodies and they are painted with different hair-style and clothings. They started to show each one’s specific individuality that let us imagine existent models. After 10 years has past from his first solo exhibition, the works of Hideaki Kawashima is again changing. From 1995, Kawashima undertook 2 years of Tendai sect of Esoteric Buddhist training at the Hieizan Enrakuji Temple. He says that he recently recalls often the words by Saicho which he encountered during this period, “Brighten the world at your corner”, meaning “Do your best in each person’s post”. These words may have given the artist a certain kind of freedom and mettle. The artist released each portrait from a specific color and deformed the shape so as to practice “creating a work” even more. This exhibition is titled “come out”. The artist is challenging his solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery since 2008 as if he is making his re-debut.
Hideki Kawashima was born in Aichi, Japan in 1969. He graduated from the Tokyo Zokei University in 1991. Currently he lives and works in Tokyo. Selected group shows include “Takahashi Collection, Mindfulness!” (Kirishima Open- Air Museum, 2013), “Portrait Session” (NADiff, Tokyo / Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, 2007), “Life” (the Art Tower Mito, 2006), “Idol!” (the Yokohama Museum of Art, 2006), “Little Boy” (curated by Takashi Murakami,the Japan Society NY, 2006), “Japanese Experience Inevitable” (the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, 2004). He shows in many institutions internationally and domestically, especially in Pocheon Asia Biennale which was held in Korea in 2007. Hideaki Kawashima was selected as an artist for The Official Art Print Edition 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilTM. It is a poster project in which FIFA has selected 23 artists around the world to make posters themed on football, life in Brazil, and festivals. The selected artists include historical figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.
*image (left)
© Hideaki Kawashima
courtesy of the artist and Tomio Koyama Gallery
