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Overgrowth

Andrea Samory

CONTRAST is pleased to present a solo exhibition "Overgrowth" by Tokyo based Italian visual artist Andrea Samory from October 21st, Saturday to November 5th, Sunday. Born in 1991 in Italy, Andrea is a University of Tokyo alumnus and has previously worked for Kengo Kuma and Kohei Nawa. He has exhibited in Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. As a post-internet artist, his focus is to give shape to the fears and hopes that our present society has about the future. He combines 3D sculpting and 3D printing with SFX and more traditional sculpting techniques, to attract the viewer into a world of natural corruption and uncannyness - provoking ambivalent feelings of repulsion and fascination, alienation and recognition. In his work, the philosophies of Speculative Realism and Assemblage Theory get infused into the genres of Sci-Fi, Body Horror, Cosmic Horror, and Magical Realism – an aesthetic created as a response to the incessant flux of both dystopic and utopic information regarding global society, climate, politics, and technology. In “Overgrowth”, the artist takes inspiration from how virality (both as a biology-related concept and an internet-related concept) shapes our everyday lives. The concept of uncontrollable growth is evoked as the continuous struggle between creation and entropy - both at the microscopic scale and at the cosmic scale, both in the physical and virtual worlds. Shiny, multiple, perfect abstract shapes overwhelm and engulf the landscapes of biomorphic patterns present in the exhibition’s sculptures and video projections. These living landscapes highlight the conceptual fallacy of equating the “body” with the “self” in today’s trans-human and virtual society.

VIDEO

DIRECTION / CAMERA / EDIT： Ryosuke Senda

PRODUCE：Tomoyuki Ishizaki (IN FOCUS)


PHOTO：Martin Holtkamp

VIDEO

DIRECTION / CAMERA / EDIT： Ryosuke Senda

PRODUCE：Tomoyuki Ishizaki (IN FOCUS)


PHOTO：Martin Holtkamp

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MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL 2023 "Time to Change"

  • MEET YOUR ART
  • Tadamasa Iguchi
  • Ray Kunimoto
  • Kosuke Motohashi

CONTRAST is pleased to announce that we will be participating in “MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL 2023 ‘Time to Change'”, one of the largest art and culture festivals in Japan, exhibiting more than 100 artists from October 6th, Friday to 9th Monday/ National Holiday. “MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL” is a cross-disciplinary art festival that aims to bring together cultures such as music, food, fashion, and lifestyle, with art as its core, to create awareness of the appeal of each culture beyond its domain, and to design new encounters and discoveries about art. The second time will expand the scale and will be held in the Tennozu Canal area of Tokyo, centered on the Terada Warehouse. An art exhibition, two art fairs, live performances, talk sessions, and markets will be held at 6 venues. CONTRAST will exhibit at “CROSSOVER”, a mixed-culture art fair where more than 15 curators/galleries will present their perspectives on the landscape where art and various cultures intersect. In this exhibition, Keita Uno, representative of “Mucha-Kucha”, an art producer based on the theme of “Chanoyu (tea ceremony) x contemporary art”, will participate as co-curator. CEO of IN FOCUS Inc. Tadamasa Iguchi, Ray Kunimoto, and Kosuke Motohashi will explore new expressions that are not bound by preconceived ideas.

PHOTO：Aya Kawachi

Co-curator：Mucha-Kucha

PHOTO：Aya Kawachi

Co-curator：Mucha-Kucha

MEET YOUR ART

Tadamasa Iguchi

Born in 1984 in Tokyo. While working as a manager at a club in Shibuya, started learning design by himself, then worked for a design agency. In 2007, moved to San Francisco and experienced web intern at btrax Inc. After moved back to Japan in 2009, became a web director and photographer for a web media company. In 2012, founded IN FOCUS Inc. The main fields are web design and photography, and also has deep knowledge of digital contents such as movie and graphic design.

Ray Kunimoto

Born 1991 in NY and raised in Tokyo. Graduated from Keio University, Bachelor of Arts, Aesthetics and Science of Arts Department. Lived and worked in NY since 2017 before returning to Japan in 2021. He has presented sound installation works and live performances in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, the U.S., and other places around the world.

Kosuke Motohashi

Born in 1989 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Ritsumeikan University. Studied sociology and social psychology after experiencing the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in his childhood, and began his artistic activities after working on 3.11 relief activities and as an intern at the United Nations. Currently based in Tokyo. Major exhibitions include "Eternal Finite" at MIAKI Gallery, Tokyo, and the art fair "Art on Paper" in NYC. Awards received include "Contest in New York" at Ashok Jain Gallery. He is also actively involved in public projects, including art direction for Kansai International Airport.

About CONTRAST
In 2022, CONTRAST opened as a creative space in Yoyogi-Hachiman, Tokyo. The interior, based on a 45-year-old structure, consists of three floors under the concept of "reconstruction," and is managed by IN FOCUS, a digital branding studio that operates under the theme of "We propose new perspectives through a collective pursuit of digital excellence.". The space not only serves as its own creative space but also aims to be widely open to the public, providing a space for continuous and experimental reconstruction by its users, breaking free from limitations. Focusing on various forms of expression and encountering the creators who produce them, we will come to understand the importance of "CONTRAST = comparison" in our endeavors. Operated by IN FOCUS.In 2022, CONTRAST opened as a creative space in Yoyogi-Hachiman, Tokyo. The interior, based on a 45-year-old structure, consists of three floors under the concept of "reconstruction," and is managed by IN FOCUS, a digital branding studio that operates under the theme of "We propose new perspectives through a collective pursuit of digital excellence.". The space not only serves as its own creative space but also aims to be widely open to the public, providing a space for continuous and experimental reconstruction by its users, breaking free from limitations. Focusing on various forms of expression and encountering the creators who produce them, we will come to understand the importance of "CONTRAST = comparison" in our endeavors. Operated by IN FOCUS.

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