Hiroko Masuko + Keiko Miyamori Exhibition （Gallery Momo Ryogoku）

Hiroko Masuko + Keiko Miyamori Exhibition

Finished

Artists

Hiroko Masuko, Keiko Miyamori

At first glance, the works of Hiroko Masuko and Keiko Miyamori may seem different, but the collections of works created through their daily practices share themes such as movement, nature, memory, and time. This exhibition explores how the two artists approach and express these themes.
Masuko has been working on her "Bonsai" series since the early stages of her career, using pens to nurture her ideal forms, focusing on the collaboration between nature and humans. Later, she moved around various regions in Tohoku, drawing inspiration for her works from the local landscapes.

One of the works on display, “Kawa Vessel”, began in 2013 from a desire to delve deeper into the connection between humans and nature, as explored in her "Bonsai" series. She was inspired by the encounters she had during her life in various places and her experiences while moving around. She created one drawing or sculptural piece each day, and this has now become central to her work. The accumulation of small, sensory works from daily life transforms with each exhibition, aiming to reach a fertile field.

Miyamori, who is active in Japan and the United States, explores the connection between the individual and the whole through various mediums, including painting, sculpture, and installation. She uses the technique of "jutaku,” where she presses Japanese paper onto the surface of trees and rubs it with handmade charcoal to capture the patterns of the bark, recording the place and time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she spent her time in New York, creating daily works in her “Jutaku Series,” themed around recovery from hardship, which continues today under the title “Time.” Her collected works have exceeded 1,000 days, and this exhibition will showcase pieces from the first day to the 1,000th day. The accumulated jutaku pieces, encased in transparent glass boxes, seem to transform from a simple collection of daily practices into a preservation of precious memories.

Although the places and environments where these two artists live and create differ, they both sincerely confront their daily perceptions, cultivating and accumulating them.