HARA Hiroshi Exhibition

January 10 (Sat) – February 1 (Sun), 2026

＜1st Floor — Special Exhibition Room＞
Wednesday–Sunday: 11:00–17:00
Final day of the exhibition: 11:00–16:00

Closed: Monday, Tuesday

■ Artist in the Gallery: Saturday, January 10, and Sunday, January 11, 13:00–17:00
■ Artist Talk: Sunday, January 11, 14:00–
　　　　We will hold a artist talk on the theme “Possibilities of Two-Dimensional Works.”
　　　　Please feel free to join us.


Placing “life (inochi)” at the core of creation, the work pares back chance-born forms produced by soot to generate energy that resonates with the rhythms of nature. Amid the resonance between the unconscious and the conscious, in 2025 a new inquiry began—using paint as a material medium to depict, in even more layered ways, the generative structures of life.

HARA Hiroshi Exhibition
Noise and Chaos

Artland Gallery is pleased to present Noise and Chaos, a solo exhibition by artist HARA Hiroshi, on view from January 10 to February 1, 2026.

This exhibition introduces a body of works that further develop Hara’s distinctive technique using fire and soot, a line of inquiry he has pursued since 2015. In addition, the exhibition features his most recent works from 2025 onward, in which color is newly introduced. Through the material presence of paint, these works explore the multilayered structures of inochi (life), marking a significant new phase in his practice.

Exhibition Information
Period: January 10 (Sat) – February 1 (Sun), 2026
Venue: Artland Gallery, 1st Floor Project Exhibition Room
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00–17:00
Last day until 16:00
Closed: Monday & Tuesday

Artist in Attendance:
January 10 (Sat) & 11 (Sun), 13:00–17:00

Artist Talk:
January 11 (Sun), 2:00 PM
“The Possibilities of Two-Dimensional Works”
Visitors are warmly welcome to attend.

Artist Profile

Since 2015, Hara Hiroshi has established a unique technique in which soot—produced from oil smoke traditionally used as a material for ink—is directly burned and fixed onto washi paper or canvas. The profound black created by countless microscopic particles of soot possesses a striking intensity, as if the very traces of flame itself were sealed within the pictorial surface.

In 2022, Hara defined inochi (life) as the central theme of his practice, deepening his work as an expression shaped by the interplay between consciousness and unconsciousness, chance and necessity. In 2025, he took a further step forward by introducing color into his soot-based works, entering a new stage in which the multilayered structures of life are explored with greater complexity.

Works and Creative Process

Hara’s creative process often begins with preparatory sketches that establish an initial conceptual framework. However, the act of applying flame directly to the surface to produce soot inevitably involves a high degree of unpredictability, and the resulting forms frequently diverge from the original image.

Unexpected shapes generated by the wavering flame intermingle with strokes that carve away layers of black, giving rise to energies that resonate with the rhythms of the natural world. During this process, an initial image may disappear entirely and transform into something wholly new, or it may reemerge after undergoing a profound internal evolution. Hara regards the moment when a new form arises after passing through this “labyrinth of chaos” as the very core of creation.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Noise and Chaos traces Hara’s ongoing exploration of the deep stillness inherent in soot-black surfaces, the emergence of vital, life-affirming forms from within that darkness, and the newly introduced resonance of color through paint.

Hara has described art as “noise that introduces subtle fluctuations into the world.” True to this idea, his works generate quiet yet persistent vibrations in the viewer’s perception, inviting reflection on the relationship between humanity and the universe.

Within the tension created by the intersection of chance and inevitability, the forms that emerge ask us to reconsider the preciousness of inochi (life), as well as the fragile balance between nature and everyday existence.

We are honored to present the continually evolving artistic world of Hara Hiroshi and warmly look forward to welcoming you to the gallery.

【 On Technique】　　：　　Hiroshi Hara

Since 2015, I have been developing a unique method of expression by capturing the soot that rises from oil smoke—the very material used to make ink—directly onto Japanese paper and canvas.
Through this process, I am able to depict the deepest black at its most delicate, particulate state. The soot reveals forms as if flames themselves had been imprinted upon the surface.

Since 2022, the underlying theme of my work has been *Life (inochi)*.
In these works, the accidental forms created by soot are erased through fine strokes, producing organic, layered structures brimming with energy—forms that seem to have emerged from nature itself. Within a single surface, the conscious and the unconscious coexist, resonating in subtle harmony.
In 2025, my practice evolved further as I began to incorporate color into this process, adding new dimensions to the living energy that animates my works.

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【On Creation】

For me, *creation* arises from the depths of chaos, and *art* is akin to noise—a subtle disturbance that transforms perception.

For the past four years, I have continued to explore “Life” as the foundation of my artistic inquiry.
Each work begins with a series of sketches in which I shape an initial vision. Yet, when I employ my original technique—burning soot directly onto the surface with fire to inscribe the essence of darkness—the flickering flame generates unexpected forms, leading the work toward unforeseen realms.

Guided by chance, I then scrape away the layers of black using various tools, searching for traces of life within the surface.
Through this process, the initial image often vanishes, transforming into entirely new forms or reemerging after a deepened evolution. Immersed in this labyrinth of chaos, I dwell for long periods in exploration, until new shapes rise to the surface as revelations.

When art seeks to expand the boundaries of perception within society, it is often perceived as something alien—sometimes even rejected as dissonance.
Yet when individuality is embraced and recognized as a source of new values, even the smallest discovery by an artist can carry the potential to open new horizons for the future.
For this reason, I perceive art metaphorically as *noise*.

In 2025, after a decade of working with flame and soot, I feel that my practice has reached a point of culmination.
The act of mixing pigments directly on the canvas embodies the same intertwining of *chance and necessity*, *unconscious and conscious*, that has always existed in my soot-based works.

Through my art, I wish for viewers to contemplate the profound relationship between humankind and the cosmos—to rediscover the miraculous significance of their own existence, to feel the sanctity of *Life (inochi)*, and to recognize the vital importance of maintaining harmony between daily life and the natural world.