I'M WORKING ON HUGE PAINTINGS IN BEIJNG (solo)

OVERVIEW

EXHIBITION SYNOPSIS

A Japanese contemporary artist AIDA Makoto will hold his first solo exhibition in China, “I’m working on huge paintings in Beijing.”, at Mizuma & One Gallery from August 29th. It is a three months long show as well as an open studio. The artist is on production throughout his stay and the audience is welcomed to view his works to be completed.

Just as the exhibition title tells us, Makoto is going to work on two huge paintings in Beijing. One of them is “The Ash Color Mountain”, which he began developing an idea in 2006 and completed its esquisse last year. The “Ash Color” is comprised of a pile of millions of dead businessmen and office automation equipment, while its composition is linked to an oriental landscape painting. The work will be 7 meters long and 3 meters wide.

The other huge painting is “Picture of Waterfall” (W419×L252cm), in which girls in school swimsuits enjoy bathing in the modest-sized nature of Japan. The work was exhibited at the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo in 2007 as a work in progress and he is going to finish up here.

“I wouldn’t return to Japan until I finish them. Thus I should keep working on them quietly from morning till night, day after day. There is no need of excitement, because I think it is rather a hand-copying of sutras. The perseverance is the key to the success” said the artist. With the strong determination, Makoto begins his residence in midsummer Beijing.

What’s more, the huge piece of “Encounter of the Fat and the Slim with Ten-thousand Yen Bill Background” which has been exhibited in the group show, “Beautiful New World: Contemporary Visual Culture from Japan”, at Long March Space in 2007. This is 4.5 meters wide and 10 meters long and is his biggest work ever. The artist will make a full use of Mizuma & One gallery.

Above all, there are some more other latest works here: the “mokomoko” (exhibited at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo in 2008), and the series of photographic works “Ai chan BONSAI” (co-created with KATO Ai). The show allows the audience to explore his works produced by various methods under diverse theme.

AIDA has had his solo exhibitions is all over the world, and Beijing goes to be the next stop this summer. You will not miss the opportunity to testify AIDA Makoto’s “Huge paintings” in Beijing.

AIDA Makoto was born at Niigata in Japan in 1965 and gained Master Degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1991. He has been working with various techniques and subjects to explore multidirectional translations of ideas, and established a unique position that is hard to categorize.