Venue: √K Contemporary (Root K Contemporary, 6 Minamicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) Dates: Sept 19 (Sat) – Oct 24 (Sat), 2020

TOKYO, SHINJUKU-KU, JAPAN, August 29, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- √K Contemporary ("Root K Contemporary", Tokyo) is proud to present Kiyoshi Hamada's 3rd major solo exhibition, "Strata of Memory -Light and Shadow-" from Sept 19 (Sat) to Oct 24 (Sat), 2020.

Following his solo exhibitions at Kashima Arts (Tokyo, 2016) and Nerima Art Museum (Tokyo, 2015), Kiyoshi Hamada has since participated in international art fairs, receiving much global acclaim. This exhibition will present approximately 30 works, with a diverse selection of large to small scaled works, from the 1980's to the present.

【Exhibition Highlights】
While he has past 80 years in age, Hamada has never ceased his artistic endeavors.
This exhibition will follow his path and present approximately 30 works from the 1980’s to his most recent, newest 2020 series.

・Drawing Re-Examined
While Hamada began his career as a highly acclaimed woodblock print artist, he began to search for new forms of artistic expressions in the 1980s. Introducing his newfound aesthetic, Hamada’s Drawing series consisted of works on paper, that contained overlapping, single pencil lines that amassed into a completely black surface. Created through a set of repetitive movements, the “surface” of each work emerges with the illuminating glow of graphite.

・Light and Darkness in a Monochrome World
A new series of semi-sculptural works will be unveiled at this exhibition. Stepping away from two-dimensional modes of production, these works reflect the artist’s continuous endeavor to address and express where he is “now”. A work of light and shadow, these works reflect visceral, primordial notions of the self.
One of the key works from the exhibition, “2-2-17” (2020), consists of 6 panels that is, altogether, 3m in width. An entirely black surface of overlapping woodblocks, the formal texture of the work changes the experience of the work completely from the angle of sight. These pure expressions of light and shadow reflect the sensitivity Hamada developed over 80 years of age.


Event Highlights:

【Artist Talk: Kiyoshi Hamada, Yuji Akimoto and Ren Fukuzumi】
This special event will feature the artist, Kiyoshi Hamada, and guest speakers, Yuji Akimoto (Director of The University Art Museum - Tokyo University of the Arts, and Director of the Nerima Art Museum) and Ren Fukuzumi (Art Critic).
Date & Times: September 22, from 3pm JST.
**Please note, the session will be in Japanese. Event highlights with English subtitles will be published thereafter.
Stay updated on the √K Contemporary website, Facebook (@rootkcontemporary), Instagram or Twitter (both @rk_contemporary).

【“Strata of Memory -Light and Shadow-” Exhibition Catalog】
English and Japanese catalogs of exhibited works and an accompanying essay will be available for purchase.

Both, a record and an ode to Hamada’s oeuvre, these catalogs illustrate the history of the artist’s work and development, from the 1980’s to the present alongside writings by the art critic, Ren Fukuzumi.

【About the Artist, Kiyoshi Hamada】
Born in 1937, Kochi, Japan.
Graduates from Tama Art University in 1961.

Following art school graduation, Hamada became acquainted with the great avant-garde artists of post-war Japan, such as Yoshishige Saito, and began developing unique abstract forms of aesthetic expressions. He was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Modern Woodblock Prints Competition of 1977 and, while amassing much acclaim, has been active in various domestic and international exhibitions. In 2015, his solo exhibition, “The Legacy of Kiyoshi Hamada – Paintings of Layering and Erasing“, was held at the Nerima Art Museum and his works, in their quiet, but ever-developing aesthetic and production.

Public Collections: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Kraków Museum of Art, Artizon Museum of Art, Tokyo, Nerima Museum of Art, Tokyo, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, and more.

【About √K Contemporary】
√K Contemporary (Root K Contemporary) is an art gallery that exhibits post-war to present-day artists that opened in March 2020. As the sister gallery to Kashima Arts, √K Contemporary gallery was established with the aim to create a place where one can experience art at its fullest and seeks to represent the next generation of vanguard artists.

For the past decade, the advancement of the Japanese art market has been the core ambition of √K Contemporary founders. As respected Japanese calligraphy and antique painting specialists, they have contributed to various projects and exhibitions and continue to actively address the various gaps in the Japanese art market.

With this, √K Contemporary was designed to exhibit works in a spacious setting with minimalistic interiors, designed with the intention of liberating general, social and temporal associations. A gallery dedicated to the shared experience of art, √K Contemporary hosts a range of events, as well as exhibitions by modern to contemporary artists from Japan and abroad. The gallery space of √K Contemporary spans form the 1st to the 2nd floor, with roughly 300sqm of space in between and, located in the heart of Tokyo, is one of the largest galleries in the city.

【Event Summary】
Kiyoshi Hamada, "Strata of Memory - Light and Shadow -" (Japanese: "Kioku no Chiso -Hikari to Kage-")
Works: Approx 30pcs, from the Drawing series of the 1980s to the present.
Preview: Sept 18 (Fri) 3pm to 7pm
Dates: Sept 19 (Sat) – Oct 24 (Sat), 2020
Open 11am to 7pm. Closed Sun & Mon. Open every day during Silver Week (Sept 19 – Sept 22)
Venue: √K Contemporary (6 Minamicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
Tel: +81 (0)3-6280-8808
Email: info@root-k.jp
URL: http://www.root-k.jp

Exhibition URL: https://root-k.jp/exhibitions/strata_of_memory_hamada_kiyoshi/
＊Depending on the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, event details are subject to change. We hope for your understanding and ask for your cooperation.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootkcontemporary/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rk_contemporary/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rk_contemporary

Naoko Watanabe & Aisei Tamura
SEI-RIN Co., Ltd.
+81 3-6280-8808
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Past Exhibition: Kiyoshi Hamada, "Zero no Inori"