Panel seven - Selected by Miku KURAMATA
Curator Comment by KURAMATA Miku about “Snuggle Up with You” by TAKURA Tai
The theme of this year's project is ‘cultivate’, a word that has many Japanese translations.
It is commonly translated as ‘nurture’ or ‘plow’. In her work, the word is interpreted as ‘nurture’ in the form of nurturing relationships with people.
She uses only a pen. The artist said that the fruits of the tree, which are so plentiful that there is no room for them to fall, represent the strong energy of the two lonely people at the center of the work, as they lean on each other. I was drawn in by the fragility of the work, which was drawn without any blank spaces, and which seemed to me to be very attractive, as if it would collapse if even a single piece was left out.
It is very difficult to nurture human relationships, and even the smallest thing can cause them to fall apart. Her works are drawn in black and white, but they don't give a gloomy impression, and I feel that this is because she uses white very well and is able to create a place for the viewer to rest. The blank space makes the drawing stand out even more and refines the presence of the work.
Curator Comment by KURAMATA Miku about “Untitled” by Lucy CHANDLER
I was very attracted to Lucy Chandler's postcards. In the midst of the other colorful artworks, I felt that the chic black-and-white look and the inclusion of multiple motifs on the picture plane made it even more eye-catching and it had an unusual appeal.
The theme ‘cultivate’ is associated with nature in her works, but some people may have a gloomy impression because of the monochrome, but in this work she is conscious of capturing the beauty in nature, and there is a reason why she uses monochrome instead of bright colors.
She told me that she dared to use black and white to focus on the details of the plants, which are her motifs. After hearing this, I felt that by reducing the visual information was easier for me to focus on what she is conscious of, and if you look at her postcards again with this in mind, your impression will change. For me, the white points on the black picture plane draw my attention and I feel the strength of the plants. I wonder if there are still some dark impressions there, but every time I look at her work, I discover something new, and there are many ways to look at it and receive it. How does it look and feel to you?
TAKURA Tai (Artist)
Born in Tokyo. She is enrolled in the Concentration in Oil Painting and Printmaking at Joshibi University of Art and Design. She depicts worlds where creatures of different shapes and forms, from small to large, coexist in a mainly black and white world view. Her artist name is Ann Tai.
Lucy CHANDLER (Artist)
Born in Bath, UK. She is enrolled in the Visual Communication Specialism, Art & Design Foundation Studies Course at Loughborough University.
She likes working digitally, combined with physical processes such as Lino printing and working with ink. Also doing Lino printing and 3D sculpture.
KURAMATA Miku (Curator)
Born in Tokyo. She is enrolled in the Concentration in Art and Culture at Joshibi University of Art and Design. She belongs to the Japanese Art History Seminar and the Art and Law Seminar. She likes capybaras.