The 54rd exhibition in “The Second Stage at GG” series will be “Fitted and Fixed” featuring works by Haruna Kawai. This series spotlights artists who were finalists in the various open competitions held by Guardian Garden to support aspiring young talents. “The Second Stage at GG” exhibitions provide a look at what those promising artists have subsequently accomplished in their chosen fields.

The upcoming solo show featuring works by Haruna Kawai will be the final exhibition held at Guardian Garden, as the gallery’s activities will end this August after 32 years in operation. Starting September 20, a brand-new venue – Art Center BUG – will open on the ground floor of Gran Tokyo South Tower, site of Recruit Holdings’ Headquarters. (The building is directly accessible from the Yaesu South Exit of Tokyo Station.)

 Haruna Kawai is an artist who depicts unique constructions that combine simple geometric shapes. She was selected as a finalist in the 17th “1_WALL” Graphics Competition (2017) for “object,” a grouping of works on transparent film typical of her style, coursing back and forth between reality and fantasy. Kawai’s constructions are configured from simple spheres, cylinders, rectangles and the like, parts of which exist in defiance of gravity. Also, on close examination, her uniquely hued forms reveal brush traces from which we know they are drawn by hand. By virtue of their gravity-defying arrangements and endearingly human brush strokes, Kawai’s geometric constructions, artificial and evoking a sense of déjà vu, each leave an impression of vague incongruity and unrealism. The presence of these opposing features within the context of her graphics reflects Kawai’s desire to produce things that exist in a dimension apart from our earthly world.

Since childhood Kawai has been enthralled by the way objects are arranged and constructed, and she has been a keen observer of the world around her. During her student years she acquired knowledge from her studies in architecture and design, and this knowhow too is reflected in her current mode of graphic expression. For example, she has found beauty of composition on noticing a person seated in a chair with elbows placed on a table. It inspired her to make sketches focused on the various relative positions present: the arms placed on the horizontal surface of the table, the spread between the arms and the body trunk, the space between the trunk and the table, etc. In this way, she takes elements extracted from a given scene and converts them into simple forms, which she collects mentally or in sketchbooks. These images become the materials from which she creates her unique constructions.

Up to now Kawai has released works primarily depicted on A4 to B2 size transparent film or wood panels, which she has also developed into book cover illustrations or products such as clothing. For her solo show she has opted for larger scale with depictions on F100 (1621 x 1303mm) and F120 (1940 x 1303mm) canvases. In the gallery display space containing her larger-scale works, she has broadened her expressive scope in a foray into producing new landscapes. Also on display will be her works on film originally entered in the “1_WALL” competition, to give visitors a sense of how, despite changes in her mode of expression and backing materials, the essence of her creative craft remains unchanged.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming visitors to Haruna Kawai’s solo show, a befitting end to the gallery’s 32 years of supporting creative artists seeking new modes of visual expression.

Message from the Artist
To create shapes into which something is fitted and held, or shapes that are fitted and fixed, I consider their surrounding constructions. Rather than being actions taken with meaning or purpose, I just create landscapes of constructions that reproduce various states of objects.