Ikuro Yagi, Mt. Fuji, 2004, washi paper, panel board, adhesive paste, sumi ink, gold leaf, h:89 3/8 x w:171 1/4 in. (h:227 x w:435 cm)
Ikuro Yagi: Grand Nature
October 10 – November 22, 2024
Opening reception with Artist: October 10, 6–8pm
Kindly RSVP: [email protected] or (212) 967-4899
Ippodo Gallery is delighted to present the U.S. debut exhibition of Japanese painter Ikuro Yagi, opening Thursday, October 10th. Spanning works from 1984 to 2009, Yagi debuts some of the greatest masterpieces created in his long career. This collection features over 15 painted and collaged pieces on Japanese washi paper, wood panels, and canvas, all expressing a universal dialogue between nature and urban life in Japan through the visual mediums of sumi ink and nihonga. The permeating theme of Yagi’s paintings is the unspoken healing effect of nature on the human soul; a gentle reminder that endless kindness is at the fingertips. The artist will travel to New York from Japan for an opening reception commemorating his first solo show in the U.S.
“Sumi ink is not simply carbon; infusion into the washi paper grants us a sense of holding a piece of nature. Perhaps it is the same sort of sensation as strolling amidst the trees.” Ikuro Yagi (b. 1955) maintains his innovative nihonga painting practice from his home in Shizuoka Prefecture where his roots have long been set. Mount Fuji resides in Shizuoka, and Yagi sees no barrier between man-made spaces and the grand presence of nature which he depicts so prominently. His education brought him to Paris following study under nihonga master Matazo Kayama at Tama Art University and western-style painter Koji Kinutani. The French influence invigorated his approach to nihonga styles, the medium through which he began to depict all sorts of material culture. His vivid paintings of sea creatures, flowers in bloom, and all other sorts of wilderness draw on decorative traditions that defined nihonga painting in the era of ornate interiors during the Edo period (1603-1868).
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