Exhibitions
Past
Tiny People in Tiny Worlds: Kageyoshi Koyanagi Solo Exhibition
Aug. 6 (Thu.) to Aug. 12 (Wed.)
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Kageyoshi Koyanagi creates tiny worlds centered around fruit, vegetables, maneki-neko cat figurines and other such objects, and the unique movements and behaviors of the tiny people inhabiting these worlds are sure to bring a smile to any viewer's face.
His exhibition also features depictions of feudal warriors such as Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, an impressive whale image, and more.
We hope you will come down and see all of Koyanagi's works on display, which are even more enjoyable when viewed up close.
＜Artist's Greeting＞
This will be my first solo exhibition at GINZA SIX, and I am truly grateful to all of the people who have made it possible.
My personal style is as the exhibition's title implies: I mainly depict tiny people in various situations and have them carry out various actions within the picture. My works are structured around central items such as fruit, vegetables and dried fish in order to establish the overall feel of the piece.
Picture books that I read as a child featuring photographs of unique dioramas, model train setups and similar worlds serve as the inspiration for my general approach.
I recall that, back in those days, I often imagined small people filling those various settings and moved them around to do different things in my mind. Through my work today, I am able to actualize those scenes in my own ways. Each character I depict is filled with life, carrying out various actions and even taking naps—I make sure to give careful attention to each one, never neglecting a single person—and it makes me happy when people take the time to stop and look at what these little figures are doing.
I am also showing some of my feudal warrior pictures at this exhibition. I created these pictures based on my love of Japan's Sengoku ("Warring States") era and a simple, irrepressible urge to paint figures from that time. That's not to say there was nothing that initially piqued my interest in making these pictures; I have always felt uncomfortable with modern-day depictions of warriors from that period, which tend to be excessively manly and handsome. As a sort of rebellion against that style, I began creating my own versions.
The year 2020 has brought a lot of tough challenges into our lives, and many people are feeling down as a result. I hope that people who attend this exhibition will find a bit of joy in viewing my works, which as an artist will make me glad to have drawn them in the first place.
I hope you'll stop by and have a look!
– Kageyoshi Koyanagi