a piece of space APS is pleased to announce its 19th exhibition in the series a piece of work, entitled IWAO Etsuko Exhibition, held from July 14 to 31, 2010. This exhibition is held in conjunction with Gallery Camellia on the same floor as APS.

Iwao completed the graduate program at Tama Art University in 1993. She was awarded the VOCA (“The Vision of Contemporary Art”) Prize in 2000, which gave her the opportunity to become widely known only several years after she began her artistic activity.

The unique feature of Iwao’s paintings is how a sense of anxiety and a sense of relief coexist within her expansive spatial images. Since her last solo exhibition held three years ago at APS, she has undertaken many experimental expressions. New features found in her most recent works are “movement,” such as birds that seem to fly into a boundless sky, and oceans that seem to expand eternally.

The distinct depiction of a face is also a new element that was not found in her earlier works. A group of lines that was depicted in her 2005 work White House I could be seen as people, while in her large-scale exhibitions at Galerie Tokyo Humanite and Dai-ichi-Life Gallery in 2006, the abstract figure of a girl in a red dress made its appearance in all the paintings. According to the artist, the distinct face is “only a lump of something like a mountain.” Could that “mountain” be expressing her everyday realities, or does it imply the essence of her life?

We hope you enjoy Iwao’s painting at APS, which has brought the space to life with just one work. Gallery Camellia is exhibiting five paintings within natural light and the retro atmosphere of the 80-year-old building. Don’t miss this opportunity to view the world of Iwao’s paintings!

(Curated by Taeko Nanpei)