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Takashi Taruya "Tsukumogami"
Art Lab Tokyo
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Artists
Takashi Taruya
Takashi Taruya, who calls himself "an impoverished child born into a country of plenty", experienced a rich and varied life before coming under the spell of gold leaf paintings. His childhood was spent in a home where the debt collector would barge into the house almost daily, where his family would gather seaweed and shellfish from the beach to stave off hunger, where getting cut off from electricity and running water were an everyday occurrence. Raised of necessity in an environment of constant hunger, Taruya entered art school intent on finding himself a vocation. Even while still enrolled in school, he took on commissions for interior and retail design both in Japan and abroad, while also creating massive murals and frescoes. His unique sense of color and voluminous works won him much attention.
In the process of creating many works abroad in different countries, Taruya became increasingly aware of his identity as a Japanese artist. He soon began to study the spiritual roots of his own country in a detached, objective way - in particular the animistic worldview of ancient Shinto. Since then, Taruya began his investigations into the origins of Japanese folklore, its spirits and deities, and also started working with gold leaf, itself a traditional Japanese medium with its own illustrious history.
The "tsukumogami" in the title of this exhibition refers to the spirits and deities that reside in the old tools and livestock that belong to a household, instilling the notion of fear in us and encouraging us to return to a lifestyle of thrift, treasuring our belongings with care. At a time of mass consumption of huge amounts of resources fueled by human desires, Taruya reckons that we have something to learn from these spirits. His paintings, which recall the folkloristic traditions handed down by painters since the Muromachi period, are also a revival of artistic techniques that are mindful of their impact on the natural environment.
[Image: "Tsukumogami Yagyouzu - God's Parade" (2009), silver leaf and acrylic on wooden panel, 803x1303mm]
In the process of creating many works abroad in different countries, Taruya became increasingly aware of his identity as a Japanese artist. He soon began to study the spiritual roots of his own country in a detached, objective way - in particular the animistic worldview of ancient Shinto. Since then, Taruya began his investigations into the origins of Japanese folklore, its spirits and deities, and also started working with gold leaf, itself a traditional Japanese medium with its own illustrious history.
The "tsukumogami" in the title of this exhibition refers to the spirits and deities that reside in the old tools and livestock that belong to a household, instilling the notion of fear in us and encouraging us to return to a lifestyle of thrift, treasuring our belongings with care. At a time of mass consumption of huge amounts of resources fueled by human desires, Taruya reckons that we have something to learn from these spirits. His paintings, which recall the folkloristic traditions handed down by painters since the Muromachi period, are also a revival of artistic techniques that are mindful of their impact on the natural environment.
[Image: "Tsukumogami Yagyouzu - God's Parade" (2009), silver leaf and acrylic on wooden panel, 803x1303mm]
Schedule | Nov 2 (Mon) 2009-Nov 15 (Sun) 2009 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Art Lab Tokyo http://artlab-tokyo.com/  | ||||
| Location | 202, 2-7-26 Kitaaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061 | ||||
| Access | 2 minute walk from exit 2b at Gaienmae Station on the Ginza line. 11 minute walk from exit 1 at Aoyama-itchome Station on the Ginza and Hanzomon lines or Toei Oedo line. 11 minute walk from exit B4 at Omotesando Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6231-6768 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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