Yamaguchi Yoshishige – In Search of the Real

Looking back on the ideas that have served as my “clues” and “foundations” for painting, I recall that in my early works—created with the awareness of being seen by others—I was making geometric compositions with a focus on the concepts of necessity and chance. Around that time, the contemporary art master Saito Yoshishige pointed out the issue of ambiguity in shadow expression and posed the challenge: “Can’t you express space with a single line?”

In thinking about the idea of the “line,” I arrived at the concept of “ma” (間) — the space between things. I began creating paintings using lines that emerge from the in-betweenness of objects. As I pursued this, my interest gradually shifted toward the boundary between two-dimensional and three-dimensional expression. I began to wish to depict the front and back on a single surface, and this led me to the idea of turning the existence of fabric—woven or knitted—into painting.
This evolved into my exploration of the “window,” something whose value lies in being empty. A window is also a unification of front and back (or inside and outside), and I have sought to express this concept in my paintings.

Recently, I have been deeply moved by the atmosphere in certain moments—when standing in a space where thin threads are stretched tight, or gazing toward the light from within a dim tunnel. I try to capture the emotional resonance of those fleeting instants through painting.
Where does the emotional impact that touches a person truly appear? Amid the effects of surface-level light, what lies beyond—what is the essence? By adding relief-like texture to the painting’s surface, or by incorporating gaps formed from the assembly of multiple panels as key compositional elements, I seek to express a strong sense of presence.

When people notice subtle surface variations and discover something small, creativity is nurtured, and the energy to move people is born. Perhaps painting is a device that helps people become aware of such sources of inspiration. I hope that, by gazing into the air and light within a quiet painting, the viewer is granted a space and time for meditation—a practice for inner harmony and mental stillness.

Yamaguchi Yoshishige

Born in 1961 in Kagawa Prefecture / Graduated from the Department of Painting, Tama Art University in 1984 / Completed graduate studies at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts in 1986 / 1995: “Creators from Japan” Exhibition (Slovenia) / 2008: Received the Governor’s Prize at the Kagawa Prefectural Art Exhibition (Kagawa Prefectural Museum) / 2013: Yamanami Art Festival, held in Ayagawa and Shionoe (continued in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) / 2022: “Yamaguchi Yoshishige Exhibition – Reflecting on 40 Years of Creation” (Manno Town) / 2023: Art Echo – Small Mountain Exhibition in Manno (continued in 2024, 2025)