COHJU contemporary art is pleased to present a solo exhibition "animism" by Tomohiro Takahashi from November 5th to 26th, 2021.
Tomohiro Takahashi paints toys for kids, especially stuffed animals, with a reminiscent of collage techniques. Those main objects and some other parts which are composed of papers and tapes are depicted hyper realistically while you can see some child's doodles at the same time with the bold use of colors emphasizing the flatness of the works.Putting these two different elements together, Takahashi breathes life into a doll in the painting.
Takahashi thinks the stuffed animals “don't speak” so it makes them rather devoted and open-minded like family members or the BFF to him. The title of this exhibition, Animism, comes from Takahashi's belief that the existence of stuffed animals for him is connected to the concept of animism, which holds that all things have a spirit. Through the process of his painting, Takahashi tries to bring these toys close to your heart by having a dialogue and creating ideal images of them.
This will be his very first solo exhibition and we will showcase more than 10 new paintings. We are looking forward to seeing you in our gallery.
When I was a child, I was often told, "There are seven gods in a grain of rice, so don't leave any behind," and "If you don't take good care of your tools, you will be punished”. These come from the animistic thoughts that everything has a spirit, and we can find these concepts and moral values in various cultural backgrounds in Japan.
I have always had a special feeling for stuffed animals, and have treated them with great affection and love ever since I can remember, which is another way of thinking about animism.
I believe that the idea that everything has a spirit will help to alleviate discriminatory attitudes and conflicts against others and respect their individuality. By painting stuffed animals, which I have deep feelings for, I hope that people who see my work will also feel something that resides in them.
–Tomohiro Takahashi
animism
by Takahashi Tomohiro
Date: Friday, November 5th, 2021 - Friday, November 26th, 2021
Open: Tue - Sat 1:00PM - 6:00PM
Closed: Sundays, Mondays and National Holidays
Venue: COHJU contemporary art
Address: COHJU Bldg., 557 Bishamon-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0981
Tel: +81 75 746 4707
Email: contact@cohju.co.jp
