‘New paintings’ Jan 23(sat) – Feb 20(sat)

Opening hours : 11am – 6pm / Closed : Sundays, Mondays and Public holidays
In Term 2 we will present his early works which were displayed in public for the first time in 1986.

Yoshio Kitayama is a critically acclaimed Japanese artist who has been producing works on paper with black ink on large Torinoko-shi paper* since the mid 1990s. He is well known as a sculptor who works on large scale pieces for architectural projects. This will be MEM’s second opportunity to present his works on paper since his first show Icon – History in 2007. Within these two exhibitions we would like to focus on his works on paper and explore how his works have changed since 1986.

* Torinoko-shi paper is one of the highest quality washi (Japanse paper). Historically, this fine and silky paper was firstly recorded to be used during the 14^th Century. Its elegant texture and durability has been long appreciated in book making processes throughout history.

About the artist: Born in 1948, in Hatsuka-ichi City, Shiga. Lives and works in Kameoka City, Kyoto. Since the 1980s he has joined international expositions including the Venice Biennale (1982), Carnegie International (1982, Pittsburg), and Triennial India (1991, New Delhi), and has been recognized as a sculptor who works on large pieces made with bamboos and washi paper. In 1997 he started a series of large-scale monochrome paintings on Japanese paper including two series Icon and Universe. Icon shows enlarged human figures drawn from little clay sculptures he makes in advance. In the Universe series, his numerous and meticulous touches in black ink create a series of phenomenal pictures of the universe, which could be compared to a mandala in Buddhism. His latest solo show in a major pubic museum was held in Toyota Municipal Museum of Art in 1999. He was invited to participate in Asian Art Bangladesh Biennale in 2003. In 2008 he installed a 15-meter high sculpture on 90^th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center which gained much attention.