Bambinart Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition Kota Hirakawa "A Fertile Painting / A Fertile World".
Hirakawa (born in Saitama, 1987) graduated from Tama Art University and is currently a graduate student at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Since highschool, Hirakawa has participated in GEISAI, a large-scale art festival organized by artist Takashi Murakami, and have taken leadership roles in various art projects. His most known works include ”Train”, a performance staged inside the JR Yamanote-line train, and a solo exhibition at the Maruki Museum. Furthermore, in 2011, Hirakawa did a solo exhibition "The Power of Fox" at Bambinart Gallery, a joint exhibition ”2nd Morals” at Art Center Ongoing, and a solo exhibition "ANA MEETS ART" at ANA lounge in Haneda Airport. Alongside exhibitions, he also coordinated a bus tour titled "Art Climbing a Mountain" at Seicho-ji temple in Kyoto.
For this exhibition, Hirakawa presents works he has been working on since March. Most of the works on display are titled "Where did it come from, Where it will go" in association with Paul Gauguin's masterpiece "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?". Hirakawa says that 'Artists paint darkness while painging light, and paint light while painting darkness. They always dream of an ideal painting and the world.'
Hirakawa was always deeply interested in myths and legends which is reflected in his past works that borrow quotes from Joseph Campbell's "Power of Myth" or Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story". He has borrowed from these stories to express problems in modern day society. In this exhibition, Hirakawa works under the theme "wealth" in relation to the recent earthquake to visualize the story of mankind. been expressed contemporary social issues with using these contents.