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EXHIBITION

The Second Stage at GG #24 

Masaru Ishikawa Exhibition: “CONNESSIONE”

  • DATES : Mon. January 26 - Thu. February 12, 2009
  • HOURS : 12:00p.m.-7:00p.m.
  • Closed Sundays and holidays. Admission free.

Now in its 19th year, Guardian Garden is pleased to host the 24th in its ongoing series titled “The Second Stage at GG.” Since its inauguration in 1990, the gallery has served as a venue where numerous creative artists have showcased their works, and today many of those featured at the gallery have gone on to become noted contributors to their respective fields. “The Second Stage at GG” exhibitions highlight more recent works by artists who participated in the “Hitotsubo” and other competitions.

The 24th exhibition in the series will feature works by visual designer Masaru Ishikawa, who was a finalist in the 13th Hitotsubo Competition in 1999, when he was a student in the Art & Design course for a Masters Degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts). In 2001, as a “Hitotsubo Exhibition” scholarship recipient, Ishikawa went to study in Germany at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. This was followed by an internship at Siemens AG in Munich and participation as an international project member at DesignLAB Term2 – a first for a Japanese. Ishikawa created the graphics for a mobile phone winter campaign undertaken by Siemens in collaboration with Bogner. In 2003, Ishikawa relocated to Milan, Italy, where he was active as a graphic designer creating communications that connect business corporations and organizations with the public. Focused on the theme of “Visual & Identity,” he was in charge of the graphics for corporate logos, an international short film festival, an international symposium, etc. Ishikawa just recently returned to Japan, where he is expected to apply his impressive experience abroad to new activities at the international level.

“CONNESSIONE” – meaning “connection” in Italian – will be Masaru Ishikawa’s first exhibition after returning to Japan, and it will reflect his cross-border experience working in two different cultures and languages, German and Italian. In addition to showing works from his time in Europe, Ishikawa will also be showing drawings and visuals created by his design unit, mi e ru, established in 2008, as well as ceramic tableware originally premiered at SaloneSatellite in Milan in April 2008, soon to be available commercially. As such, the upcoming exhibition at Guardian Garden will offer visitors a vivid sense of Masaru Ishikawa’s future potential as a highly diverse creative artist.

Message from the Artist

When I was 15, my mother suggested, “Why don’t you go see the real Mona Lisa?” That was the impetus that took me to Europe for the first time.
What I took away from that first trip overseas was the realization that, on the other side of the planet, the sky is blue there too, parks are home to pigeons, and life just goes on, one day after the next. Ten years later, with one invisible dot connecting to another and then another, I ended up in Europe for a second time.
Immersing myself in two different cultures – German and Italian – I came to know many different people and many different things. I ran up against a variety of walls and encountered various difficulties, but I also came to know people’s help and kindness. Looking back on what I experienced in those days brought to mind the word “CONNESSIONE,” which is Italian for “connection” or “relationship.” My fervent hope is for the lines I draw, the colors I set down, and the ideas that well up in my mind to connect me with other people and with the world at large, hopefully creating new value along the way.

Masaru Ishikawa

mi e ru Poster
Milan,Italy.2008

Functional Drawing
Milan,Italy.2003

Masaru Castle
Milan,Italy.2008
Photo:Mauro Angelantoni

Masaru Ishikawa

Born in 1974.

Organizer: Guardian Garden