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SEIU

Ray Kunimoto

CONTRAST presented a solo exhibition, "SEIU" by sound artist Ray Kunimoto, from June 11th, Saturday to June 26th, Sunday. Kunimoto combines traditional Japanese aesthetics and contemporary technology under the theme of "silence," and expresses new acoustic experiences by crossing various fields such as sound production, engineering, sculpture, and spatial design. This was his first solo exhibition in Japan in 5 years, and was his largest exhibition to date, including new works such as "AME (rain)," his first attempt at an acoustic painting. The theme of this exhibition, "SEIU (gentle rain)," focused on the rainy season, a seasonal transition unique to Japan, and reinterpreted the tranquility and spirituality brought by rain. Through an installation that spans two floors, one above ground and one below, the exhibition invited visitors to experience a sound experience that had not yet been seen. - Exhibition Concept - In June, Japan enters the rainy season, known as "tsuyu". The sound of rain is a collection of countless water droplets, falling within the audible frequency range, and the sound of rain drowns out all the noise and brings silence due to the masking effect of sound being obscured by other different sounds. Rainwater seeping into the ground makes the sound of water droplets and creates silence. Eventually, the water precipitates away, evaporates into the air, and condenses into the next rainfall. The sound of rain that invites silence, the soft notes coming from water droplets that reflect stillness, and finally, the full cycle of water depicted throughout is the artist's attempt to construct an introspective space. Organized by IN FOCUS inc. Planning：Mucha-Kucha Inc. Cooperation：Oasis sound design inc. / dotdot / Matchæologist® Japan

VIDEO
CREATIVE DIRECTION : Tadamasa Iguchi (IN FOCUS) 
DIRECTION & CINEMATOGRAPHY : Yoshinori Kataoka (IN FOCUS) 
EDIT : Miho Tanaka (IN FOCUS)


PHOTO：Kouta Nagasawa (IN FOCUS)

VIDEO
CREATIVE DIRECTION : Tadamasa Iguchi (IN FOCUS) 
DIRECTION & CINEMATOGRAPHY : Yoshinori Kataoka (IN FOCUS) 
EDIT : Miho Tanaka (IN FOCUS)


PHOTO：Kouta Nagasawa (IN FOCUS)

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Private Viewing：WAKU

  • WAKU
  • Gallery COMMON

Gallery COMMON's neon artist WAKU held a private viewing at CONTRAST on the occasion of his exhibition at "Art Fair Tokyo 2022". Wakui. Untitled N01.2022.8mm neon glass, argon gas, glass box with steel frame.1356 x 1642 x 942 mm. Photo by Yosuke Torii. Courtesy of Gallery COMMON.

WAKU

Waku was born in Tokyo in 1996, where he currently lives and works. Waku’s practice centers around the exploration of neon light. Using the medium to challenge our understanding of material, form, and element, Waku probes into deeper questions about how we perceive and relate to the world. Neon, a medium that is often culturally associated with signage, is treated as a final form in and of itself within Waku’s works. The son of a Buddhist temple family, Waku’s childhood exposure to candle-lit prayers and shining golden Buddha statues shaped his ‘formative experience of light,’ and he naturally found himself drawn to the element as a pathway to creating environments. In 2017, he began training as a craftsman at Shimada Neon, one of the leading factories in Japan, before eventually moving to New York where he studied under the tutelage of distinguished neon specialist David Ablon, who also worked on pieces by the late 20th century artist Nam June Paik. A craftsman as well as an artist, Waku’s intimate relationship with the physical hardware that powers neon (glass, electricity, argon gas, etc.) functions as a starting point for his evolving practice, allowing him to flexibly experiment with ways of “setting neon light free” to create new meaning. Following his training period, Waku returned to Japan and established his neon sign studio gokou while continuing to pursue his artistic practice. Recent activities include the solo exhibition “Sobokukou” at CON_ and Domicile Tokyo (2022) and the solo exhibition “In Person” at Gallery COMMON (2020), among others.

Gallery COMMON

Founded in 2010 by creative agency en one tokyo and currently under the direction of co-founder Satoru Arai, Gallery COMMON emerged from the street culture of Harajuku as an intimate space for both Japanese and international artists and trendsetters to interact with the local scene.

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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