Disintegrations and Explorations of Negative Space – Zon Ito

The work seems to have a very clear phenomenological connection to materiality itself, with natural substances such as leaves and sticks having been juxtaposed and integrated into the larger scheme of the exhibition. Drawn lines mirror sewn threads, with both appearing to hover over a boundless surface, be it bright white paper or a pleasing flat color. With echoes of early Cubism the spaces between objects and their many planes seem as important as the objects themselves. Forms disintegrate and the exploration of negative space lends the drawings and embroidery a feeling of spaciousness. Ito develops his investigations of places (such as the Meiji Shrine), animals (in the form of skulls, fish and horses) and the connections between the human and natural world in such a playful way that it is impossible not to be drawn in.

Ito’s video work is a stop-motion animation of a red circle moving through a forest like a lively wood nymph from some sort of Shinto folk tale. Next to the video work, the actual circle is there, drawn onto a piece of paper pinned together with a beautiful curved leaf. What appeared alive is now transformed. The small video piece Big Footage consists of a miniature TV screen displayed within a drawer. A mirror-like object has been balanced on the screen, creating the illusion of hologram. The animation itself is rather like a 3D biology model or late 1970s computer game and like the punch line of a joke you maybe didn’t get but found funny anyway, just behind the mirror you’ll find a deflated pink rabbit balloon.

All of Ito’s work in this show seems to mimic a childlike delight in the natural world but extends this into a layered experiment in the arrangement of related investigative elements. The juxtaposition of objects and drawings adds layers of meaning as new connections are formed and played with. Having previously exhibited at the Kodama Gallery in Osaka and much bigger venues such as Art Tower Mito and the 2001 Yokohama Triennale, this small exhibition is an opportunity to get more intimately acquainted with his thoughtful work. You leave this little haven of art feeling refreshed and ready to take a walk in Yoyogi park – only that this time you will look at it in a different way.