□　Venue
YOD Gallery
4-9-15, Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan 530-0047
TEL +81 (0)6 6364 0775
URL: http://www.yodgallery.com

Open: 11:00-19:00
Close: Sunday and Monday

□ Opening Reception
From 17:00 on 14th November @ YOD Gallery

□　Participating Artists
Kounosuke Kawakami
Pia Borg
Tom Leighton

□　Venue
YOD Gallery
4-9-15, Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan 530-0047
TEL +81 (0)6 6364 0775
URL: http://www.yodgallery.com

Open: 11:00-19:00
Close: Sunday and Monday, 9th and 10th October

□ Opening Reception
From 17:00 until 21:00 on 5th October @ YOD Gallery


□ Exhibition Outline

YOD Gallery is pleased to announce the group exhibition, contiguous zone, Virtual Records , that will be hold from October 6 to 24 October.

Contiguous Zone is an annual exhibition to present contemporary British art in Japan. Taking the format of a group show it brings diverse artists’ practice into a dialogue. The series takes its title from the ‘contiguous zone’ of a country’s territorial waters, suggesting the increasingly diffused boundaries of both Japan and the UK today, island countries now connected to a global network of information. However, the series seeks to transcend discussion of boundaries and socio-political notions of territory, giving instead a space to breath and to be taken to new ideas.

The first show in the series is titled Virtual Records showcasing works by Kounosuke Kawakami, Pia Borg and Tom Leighton. The works presented here represent an aesthetic inquiry into the state of landscape, time and space.

Kounosuke Kawakami (Born in Yamanashi, 1979) uses a traditional method of painting: layered collages of man-made and natural material purposefully obfuscate the perfect resemblance of the work to his researched references. His practice stems from a fascination with Modernist architecture and his memories of childhood, haunted by a timeless, anti-commemorative quality.

Pia Borg (Born in Melbourne, 1977) uses video as medium, informed by German Expressionist and utilising traditional animation techniques. Shunning the slickness of digitised animation, Borg expresses a preference for a timeless aesthetic in the creation of a space between the past and the present. Moody and evocative, her animations are imbued with a European sensibility and the subject is enigmatic.

Tom Leighton (Born in London, 1981) uses photography in his works. His images appear to be of existing places but are instead imaginary utopian cityscapes. Familiar cities are deconstructed and retranslated disregarding the constraints of physical possibilities, akin to a memory. They aim to capture at once the beauty and paranoia within mass culture, the crowd and the architecture that houses this.

Please find a difference in the development of artscenes between UK and Japan and feel a new trend from UK in those various mediums, such as painting, video and photograph, in this exhibition. We hope that our space, as ‘contiguous zone’ of a country’s territorial waters, will be a place to exchange cultures between East and West and a part of the dawn of the new era like a lot of cultural exchanges took place in the age of Great Navigation.


□　Artist's Profile

Kounosuke Kawakami (Born in Yamanashi, 1978)

Biography:
MA in Fine Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art And Design, 2004
2009 Barock Plastik, I-MYU Projects, London
2008 Twenty, Dazed and Confused Gallery, London, UK
　　　 Echo, Zaim, Japan
　　　 Pulse, Pier 40, New York, USA
　　 　Voca Art Prize, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Solo Exhibition "Migration", Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK
　　　 Scope Miami, Miami, USA
　　　 Scope Basel, Basel, Switzerland
　　　 Tech- Mach- Maya-Con, Myonichikan, Tokyo, Japan
　　　 Selected by Victoria Miro, APT Gallery, London, UK
　　　 Scope New York, New york, USA
2006 Solo Exhibition "Mindustrial Evolution", Bearspace Gallery, London, UK
　　　 Zoo Art Fair, London, UK

Collections:
UBS Bank New York, USA; UBS Bank Los Angeles, USA; UBS Bank, U.K.; Taguchi Collection Japan; Progressive Art Collection USA; West Collection USA; Wellington Management USA; The Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company. Japan


Pia Borg (Born in Melbourne, 1977)

Biography:
MA in Animation, Royal College of Art in 2006
Pia Borg's animated film Footnote (2003) was nominated for the Palme d'Or in the 2004 official Cinfondation selection at Cannes. Informed by German Expressionist cinema and utilising traditional animation techniques, each frame is carefully composed from a montage that encompasses old photographs, found objects, human hair, scanned textures, dust, insects and discarded 16mm footage.


Tom Leighton (Born in London, 1981)

Biography:
MA in Printmaking, the Royal College of Art, 2006
2009 Barock Plastik, I-MYU Projects, London
2008 Solo Exhibition "Reifier" , The Cynthia Corbett Gallery,
　　　 Maverik Showroom, London.
　　　 Twenty, Dazed and Confused Gallery, Old Street, London.
2006 Bridge Art Fair, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Catalina Hotel, Miami.
　　　 Generation - The Summer Show, Royal College of Art,
　　　 Kensington Gore, London.
2005 Solo show "Examples of Space Series", City Inn, Westminster.
2004 RCA Secret, Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London.
Collections: The V&A Museum; Kunsthalle Weishaupt Collection, Germany; Tiroche Collection, UK/Israel;
MuCEM, France; Nicholas Topiol, President of Christian Lacroix, Paris; The Sandor Family Collection, Chicago; The Shein Family Collection of Pennsylvania; The UBS Art Collection, London; Slade & Newman, New York
Councillor Mr. Andrew Dalton, The Mayor of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London; Rupert Walsh, London; Ashley McDermott, New York


□　Images

Kounosuke Kawakami
"Resort House" 2009
Mixedmedia on canvas, 130.0×190.0 cm

Pia Borg
"Palimpsest" 2008
film

Tom Leighton
"The Piazza" 2006
Digital C-Type Print, Reverse mounted on Perspex
233.0 x 116.0 cm

□ Exhibited Artists

　Hintobi (Issay Kitagawa x Kenshu Shintsubo)
　Takuro Sugiyama
　Ken Kagajo
　Agathe de Bailliencourt




Venue : SPIRAL, 1st and 3rd Floor (5-6-23, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan)
Fair Hours : 11am. - 8pm.
Admission Fee : 1,000 YEN (1 Day Pass)

URL : http://gemba-firm.com/

□ Exhibited Artists

　Issay Kitagawa
　Natsuki Machida
　Nobuo Sekine
　Sakurako Hamaguchi
　Hintobi (Issay Kitagawa x Kenshu Shintsubo)
　Takuro Sugiyama
　Ken Kagajo
　Agathe de Bailliencourt
　Masashi Hattori




Venue : CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL KOBE, 15th Floor, 30 Rooms (1 Chome, Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan)
Fair Hours : 1pm. - 7pm.
Admission Fee : Free

URL : www.art-marche.jp

1-CHOME, KITANO-CHO, CHUO-KU, KOBE, 650-0002 JAPAN
Tel: +81(0)78-291-1121 / URL : http://www.cpkobe.com/



□　ACCESS
Directly connected to Shinkobe Station, and within minutes of both Kitano and Sannomiya Areas, Crown Plaza Kobe is quickly becoming the meeting place of choice for discerning guests from all over the world. This landmark hotel with banquet and fitness facilities provides an impressive view over Kobe City to the south, and the slopes of Rokko Mountain to the north.

□ Exhibited Artists

　Takuro Sugiyama
　Ken Kagajo
　Masashi Hattori

　Issay Kitagawa
　Natsuki Machida
　Hintobi (Issay Kitagawa x Kenshu Shintsubo)
　Agathe de Bailliencourt
　Ken Kagajo
　Masashi Hattori




AUGUST 21st.(FRI) 22nd.(SAT) 23rd.(SUN) 2009
21st.(FRI) Preview *Only for the invitation holders and the press.
/ 22nd.(SAT) 23rd.(SUN) Open to the public

Venue : DOJIMA HOTEL 8F, 9F, 10F, 11F 47rooms (2-1-31 Dojimahama Kita-ku Osaka Japan)
Exhibitors : 47 galleries
Fair Hours : 12pm. - 7pm.
Admission Fee : ￥1,000 (1 Day pass)

Organizer : ART OSAKA Organizing Committee
cooperation : DOJIMA HOTEL / TURNER COLOR WORKS LTD. / Kyoto University of Art and Design
co-sponsor : Suntory Beer & Spirits Limited
support : The Asahi Shimbun Company / The Aqua Metropolis Osaka 2009 Executive Committe / GOETHE-INSTITUT JAPAN
Event Curator : Contemporary Art Planning KATOH YOSHIO OFFICE

Organizing Committee
Chairparson : Takashi Yamaguchi(Gallery Yamaguchi Kunst-Bau)/
Member : Kayoko Hosokawa(Gallery Hosokawa) / Katsuya Ishida(MEM) /Satoshi Hayashi(Gallery Nomart) /
Yoshio Katoh(Contemporary Art Planning KATOH YOSHIO OFFICE)

CONTACTS
ART OSAKA Organizing Committee Office : c/o Gallery Yamaguchi Kunst-Bau
Attn.: Noriko Miyamoto
Address : Shosen-mitsui-chikko bldg. B1,1-5-25 Kaigan-dori,Minato-ku, Osaka, 552-0022 Japan
Tel : +81 (0)6-6577-0998 Fax : +81 (0)6-6577-0995 / E-mail: info@artosaka.jp / URL : www.artosaka.jp



　

Closing day: Every Sunday and Monday

1977 Born in Hokkaido. Live in Osaka
2003 Graduated from Kyoto Seika University Graduate School
2009 Lecturer for Kyoto Seika University

[Solo Exhibition]
2000 Cubic Gallery Iteza (Kyoto)
2002 Kyoto Seika University Sculpture Gallery (Kyoto)
2004 Shinanobashi Gallery (Osaka, '06)
2007 Gallery Artislong (Kyoto, '09)
2009 YOD Gallery (Osaka)

[Group Exhibition]
2000 3rd Year Work (Gallery Sowaka, Kyoto)
2001 Group Exhibition (Kobe Harborland, Hyogo)
　　　ART UNIV. 2001 (Campus Plaza Kyoto)
2002 Kunori nochi Hare (Gallery Fleur, Kyoto)
　　　anotherself (Gallery Artislong, Kyoto)
　　　SHUCHO-TEN (Gallery Artislong)
2005 WONDER SEEDS 2005 (Tokyo Wonder Site)
　　　Gunma Biennale for Young Artists (Museum of Modern Art Gunma)
2006 Two Artists Exhibiton (Gallery Naufu, Gifu)
2007 Group Exhibition, (Gallery Naufu, '08, '09, '10)
2008 ART OSAKA 2008 (YOD Gallery, '09)
2009 Kobe Art Marche (YOD Gallery)
2010 Under 100 (YOD Gallery, Osaka)


□　Images

Sound ○ Hito ○ Color
Bell, can of candy, wood and rubber tube
50.0×70.0×35.0 cm

Connection Connect Connection
FRP, kaleidoscope, plastic, bell, motor, wire and switch, 2006
280×480×650 cm

Kuu ○ Hito ○ Kuu (Part)
Desk, FRP, lunch box and plastic, 2007
75.0×45.0×30.0 cm

○ Shu ni majiwareba 0 ni naru ○
Japanese paper and vermilion inkpad, 2007
240.0 cm across

Hito ○ Mawaru
Polyester, Photo Paper, Flower pot and Motor, 2008
17.0×14.5×14.5 cm (each)

Closing day: Every Sunday and Monday, 24th and 25th April

YOD Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition by Ken Kagajo "Positive Taboo" that will be held from March 3 to March 21 2009.

Ken Kagajo, who studied the traditional paste resist dyeing technique in Osaka University of Arts, tries to open up a new vista of the future in both Japanese Crafts and Contemporary Art with his traditional craft technique. He executes his works with a technique which has been seen as “taboo” in the traditional dyeing craft world by giving inquiries into the relationship between artistic self-expression and Crafts.

There seem to be more artists who have developed their background of traditional craft’s techniques in the contemporary art world in Japan. It could be a movement to break the boarder between Arts and Crafts again with the recent suitable themes, such as, to recover the value of traditional hand-made works against the advanced technology in its powerful digital era and to review our identity and history as Japanese in the excessive globalization. However, we should closely inspect each and carefully verify its movement.

In Kagajo’s challenge, he expresses himself in his unique and large pieces with a lot of use of techniques of blots, gradation and discharge from the traditional paste resist dying techniques. On the other hand, a dyeing work is required for the equality in quality of size, colour and designs, which is meant to be a representation in Crafts. The technique that he uses has been seen as a failure because his work can not be duplicated. However, he fearlessly executes his powerful abstract form with visible records of a lot of physical movements in the procedure for finding a new identity in the convention of paste resist dyeing with the omitted technique as “taboo” in the tradition, in which the old dyeing technique seems to be betrayed by him at a glance.

Kagajo thinks that the tradition can be changed by its sense of value and needs from each period and should not be inherited from force of habit where traditional Crafts are crystallised by continuously taking over hand-made techniques from the past that predecessors made so much efforts. He is not only creating a new possibility in the paste resist dyeing by turning over the old sense of value, but also “positive” to ask for the present state in the dyeing craft and even for what Crafts should be. It also can be a warning against the mentioned-above trend where more craft artists casually participate in the contemporary art world in Japan. We believe that Kagajo’s works should be represented as contemporary art on our mission to find a new sense of value and philosophy in this exhibition where his works ask us how the next generation of Crafts should be by neutralising various values cultivated in the tradition.

□　Ken Kagajo Biography

1974 Born in Osaka
2000 Graduated from Osaka University of Arts Graduate School
2003 Lecturer for Kyoto University of Art and Design (-2008)
2007 Lecturer for Kobe Design University (-2008)
2008 Lecturer for Kyoto Seika University
2009 Lecturer for Kyoto Saga University of Arts

[Solo Exhibition]
1998 Gallery Maronie (Kyoto)
2001 Gallery Senbikiya (Tokyo), Gallery Maronie
2002 GALERIE SOL (Tokyo), Gallery Maronie
2003 Wacoal Ginza Art Space (Tokyo)
2004 Gallery Maronie
2005 GALERIE SOL, Wacoal Ginza Art Space
2006 gallery den (Osaka), Gallery Maronie, Gallery Senbikiya
2007 Gallery Planet (Nagoya)
2009 YOD Gallery (Osaka)

[Group Exhibition]
1998 3rd Shell Art Award (Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo)
2002 Selected Artists in Kyoto (Kyoto Cultural Museum, Kyoyo, ’06)
　　　12th Some-Seiryu Exhibition (Kyoto Municipal Museum of art,
　　　Meguro Museum of art, ’04, ‘07)
　　　2nd International Tapestry Art Biennale (Beijing)
2004 3rd International Fiber Art Biennale (Shanghai Library Conference
　　　and Exhibition Center)
2005 CRIA (Kyoto Art Center)
　　　Selected Artists in Kyoto (Kyoto Municipal Museum of art)
　　　Two Artists Exhibition (Gallery Keifu, Kyoto, '06, '07, '08)
　　　 Kaunas Art Biennale (Lithuania)
2006 Japanese Suppleness -contemporary art from Japan- (Denmark)
　　　Art Court Frontier 2006#4 (ARTCOURT Gallery, Osaka)
2007 International Craft Trend Fair, (COEX, Seoul)
2008 Group Exhibition (Musee de Some Seiryu, Kyoto)
2009 ART OSAKA 2009 (YOD Gallery)
　　　Kobe Art Marche (YOD Gallery)
　　　EMERGING DIRETORS' ART FAIR "ULTRA002" (Ryotaro Ishigami)
2010 Under 100 (YOD Gallery)
　　　Kyoto Kougei Biennale (The Museum of Kyoto)


[Museums and Commissioned Works]
Musee de Some Seiryu (Kyoto), Elsa Tower 55 (Kawaguchi), Truth Co., Ltd. (Osaka)

Closing day: Every Sunday and Monday

Opening reception: Starting from 14:00 on 28th February


□　Pictures

Fold - Soldier
Dyeing cotton laid on board, 2008
89.0 x 190.0cm

Crack - Begining, and then finishing, or "A"
Hydrosulfite on velvet laid on board, 2008
125.0 x 240.0 cm

Fold - in BOIL
Dyeing cotton laid on board, 2008
89.0 x 190.0 cm

Discharge - Thunder
Hydrosulfite on black velvet, 2007
184.0 x 500.0cm

manipulation - Plain
Hydrosulfite on black velvet, 2007
92.0 x 400.0cm (each)