Kamei Yoichiro Exhibition
Morphology / Cosmology

March 1 (Sat) – March 23 (Sun), 2025

Wednesday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Final day of the exhibition: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Closed: Monday, Tuesday

Artist's Attendance and Talk Schedule

・March 1 (Sat) 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
・March 2 (Sun) 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM — At 2:00 PM, the artist will talk about the works. Please feel free to join us.
・March 23 (Sun) 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Kamei Yoichiro Exhibition - Morphology/Cosmology

Artland Gallery is pleased to present Morphology/Cosmology, a solo exhibition by Yoichiro Kamei, featuring 13 new drawings from March 1 to March 23, 2025. This exhibition showcases works that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exhibition Details
* Duration: March 1 (Sat) - March 23 (Sun), 2025
* Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Until 4:00 PM on the final day)
* Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
* Artist Attendance:
* Saturday, March 1, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
* Sunday, March 2, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Artist talk from 2:00 PM)
* Sunday, March 23, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Yoichiro Kamei studied ceramics at Osaka University of Arts and later earned his Ph.D. from Kyoto City University of Arts. His doctoral thesis, Light Receptacle, laid the foundation for his artistic exploration. He has held notable solo exhibitions at prestigious venues including INAX Galleria Ceramica Shinjuku, Museum of Worldwide Ceramic Tiles, and Art Court Gallery.

The exhibition title Morphology/Cosmology encompasses two main themes: Morphology of Boundaries, which examines biological structures and morphological changes, and Cosmology of Aspects, which explores phenomena arising from natural laws and orders.

Kamei began creating drawings during the COVID-19 state of emergency, inspired by the works of artists Susumu Koshimizu and Isamu Wakabayashi. His new body of work revolves around two central themes: boundaries that divide interior and exterior and the aspects of resulting internal spaces. These themes represent a new interpretation of concepts he previously explored in his ceramic work Lattice Receptacle.

The artworks are founded on precise regular systems while incorporating natural fluctuations that appear on the surface. Starting from a basic structure of accumulated identical units, the works evolve into images of morphological changes through division and fusion, and phenomena born from specific laws and orders, creating a captivating visual experience.

Artland Gallery is honored to present this significant exhibition showcasing Yoichiro Kamei's latest artistic expressions. We cordially invite you to experience these thought-provoking works that bridge the realms of drawing and sculptural thinking.

Yoichiro Kamei: Morphology/Cosmology - Artist Statement

The COVID-19 state of emergency became the catalyst for me to begin creating drawings. Since moving to Okinawa, I had relied on my workplace facilities for my daily creative space, and I never imagined a situation where I would be unable to access it. With restrictions on going out, I found myself spending unusual hours in my home space, and it was then that I suddenly thought, "Perhaps now is the time I could work on drawings."

I had always been fascinated by drawings. Tracing back the origins of this admiration, it began when I discovered Susumu Koshimizu's series of crayon drawings and Isamu Wakabayashi's masterful set of 18 pencil drawings depicting forest trees. Through these works, I felt I could understand the essence of sculptural expression, and I was overwhelmed by the artistic dignity that emanated from each sculptor's work.

Against the backdrop of these personal changes and aspirations, I began my drawing practice with two themes as its initial direction. One concerns "boundaries that divide interior and exterior," and the other deals with "the aspects of resulting internal spaces." These are the same themes I had contemplated in my porcelain work "Lattice Receptacle," and in this sense, these drawing works can be considered variations that attempt to express the same content I had been exploring in ceramics, but through a different form of expression.

Boundaries give space its vessel-like quality, while aspects narrate the characteristics of experienced space. In creating these works, I first focused on establishing more intricate "regular systems" than ever before. This was because I wanted to maintain a clear basic structure of accumulated identical units while incorporating elements of natural "fluctuation" that emerge on the surface. As a result, these elements overlapped in multiple layers, giving the forms an active quality, and gradually the works evolved into "images of forms transforming through division and fusion" and "images of phenomena emerging from distinctive laws and orders."

In this exhibition, I will present 13 new drawings centered around these two series of developments.