Sunjin Galleries is proud to present “MIYABI” an exhibition of 3 Japanese artists, Tomoko Taniguchi, Yoichi Ogata and VIWA.

MIYABI, a Japanese word that expresses the aristocratic elegance of Japan from ancient times, an elegance that exudes beauty and makes one want to see more of its essence modestly enveloped within the veil.

The aesthetics of the Japanese is also nourished by the country’s lush natural environment which dissolves into nature through a conscious sense of harmony that is evident in Japan’s temples, shrines and gardens.

This exhibition is a myriad of artworks from 3 very talented artists, embracing their own unique sense of aesthetics, a sense that is graceful, elegant, not gaudy which has resulted from the DNA of the Japanese.

Tomoko Taniguchi; Raised during the post-atomic-bomb Hiroshima, had to try to live life as happily as possible so as to survive the harsh environment that she found herself in. Taniguchi’s theme is based on the “cycle of life” and” linking life." Her intent is not, however, to express bitter memories as merely painful things, but to communicate through her work that which is positive about people. She uses the unique Japanese medium of washi (Japanese handmade paper) and hand-based medium of art, her hope is to cover the unfathomable bitterness of those memories, to connect with present-day people and to convey to those generations of people who came after war the preciousness of on-going life.

Yoichi Ogata; Creates what he calls “head couture,” which embodies the inspiration that emanates from the human head in the form of sculpture that is worn. Ogata’s head couture is not a device for hiding everything except the eyes like a Western mask; rather, it is created to draw out the beauty and ugliness, felt by the artist himself, from the human head on which it is clad. Through his personal sensitivity, he draws out the part that is not revealed on the outside, but is hidden by the veil of the skin, manifesting as sculpture. Head couture evokes an organic movement of a living organism in the lines that look as if they might be multiplying forever. In this exhibition, collages made from drawings and photographic installations appear together with his sculptures to deepen even further the mystery of Ogata’s world view.

Yusuke Kaneko (VIWA); Uses patterns that take as their basis “decorative arts” that have been handed down from ancient times in Japan. Japanese tend to assume ambiguous attitudes, which is a special aesthetic of the Japanese that was born from placing an importance on overall harmony. This means not proclaiming something to be clearly black or white, but to harmonize all the various conditions that overlap each other to create a narrative with nature. In his work in this exhibition, VIWA incorporates a variety of patterns in order to capture a beauty that will stimulate the imagination of the viewer.