Hara Hiroshi
June 18 - July 9, 2017
Hours : 10:00 am - 6:30 pm
Tuesday (Open by appointment), Wednesday (closed)
Exhibiting work : Drawing with ink, pigment, and oil smoke on Handmade Japanese paper and canvas ‥‥ abt. 15 pcs
Artist Name: HARA Hiroshi Real name: TANIKAWA Hiroshi
Born in Takamatsu City, 1956. Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Painting, 1979 Born in Kagawa, Japan in 1956, Hara majored in oil painting at Tama Art University. After experimenting with various materials such as glass and bark, since 2003, he has been using handmade Japanese paper and ink (Suiboku-ga technique) to create minimalistic works on the theme of "phenomenon and action". Currently, he is not concerned with the material of expression in his work. He believes that self-expression is born from an internal necessity and that it is important to compare the self (our culture) with others (other cultures).
He has participated in numerous exhibitions including Art Fair Tokyo (2008-2010), Art HK (Hong Kong, 2010), Art Taipei 2012 (Taipei, 2012), Unbound Perspectives Exhibition (New York, 2012), Kagawa Yamanami Art Festival (Kagawa Prefecture, 2013-2019). He has participated in many exhibitions such as Art Taipei 2012 (Taipei, Taiwan, 2010), Unbound Perspectives Exhibition (New York, 2012), Kagawa Yamanami Art Festival (Kagawa, 2013-2019).
Solo Exhibitions
2024 “Hiroshi Hara Exhibition: With the Kaiganji Temple Barrier Paintings,” Nakatsu Banshoen Marugame Museum, Marugame, Kagawa , 2023 “Hiroshi Hara × Hiroko Tanikawa Exhibition,” Artland Gallery, Marugame, Kagawa, 2022 “Hiroshi Hara 1975–2022,” Art Echo Gallery, Manno, Kagawa
2019 Kamado Hall (Sakaide, Japan), 2016 Art Beatus HK (Hong Kong), 2012, 14-17, 19,21 Artland Gallery (Marugame, Japan), 2007, 08, 10, 15, 18 Gallery Natsuka (Ginza, Kyobashi, Tokyo), 2008 Art Beatus Van ( (Bankvar, Tokyo), 2008 Art Beatus Van (Bankvar, Tokyo)
"My passion for my work: Expression of pure black color" Hara Hiroshi
Thoughts on artwork: As an artist, I create a variety of artworks, but I always hope that my approach to creation is consistent with my way of life.
Why do you create artworks? I think that my artwork is an expression of my heart, something that cannot be faked, an alter ego of myself. Just as a child inherits genes and yet lives a life of his or her own, a work of art can be interpreted and evaluated differently from how I feel about it. As all living creatures have the instinct to procreate, the creation of artwork is inevitable for me.
What I try to keep in mind when creating my work: to work with sincerity. I tell myself this and choose the best time of the day to work, when I am in the best condition. This is so that I do not get caught up in my own thoughts and feelings, and so that my feelings do not run ahead of my work.
After first confirming my thoughts, I selects materials, faces them, and conducts various experiments to explore the possibilities of expression.
In the expression of washi paper and sumi ink, which continued for 10 years, the research subjects were the generative process and history. The expression was minimalist in order to take advantage of the characteristics of the materials.
Concept: "Expression and Purification of the Unconscious World” Hara Hiroshi
The two-dimensional work using oil smoke that I am currently working on began with a search for the beauty of pure black. The oil burns and the shape of the rising flame is fixed on Japanese paper or canvas. The work is dominated by coincidence, transcending one's consciousness and entering the realm of the unconscious. Perhaps the viewers of the completed work will have the same experience.
The title of the work, "Flame," refers to negative emotions such as jealousy and envy. These emotions are not born out of consciousness, but rather they spring up uncontrollably even if we try to suppress them. When we look at them in a visible form and face them, they are transferred from the unconscious world to the conscious world and become controllable. The flames may have purified them.
