T+review – Art Gallery T+

The exhibition "Properly Autonomous" will be held.
Venue: Art Gallery T+
Date: December 2009, 4 - January 13, 2009
Exhibitor: Noriko Watanabe (2nd year student majoring in composition)

I've been feeling a bit decadent lately, so I've decided it's time to start taking control of my own affairs.
The meaning of management seems to be to supervise, operate, or deal with or repair. It's quite a difficult task!
…Maybe I should stop (lol)

T+review

　Palm-sized boxes form a horizontal line on the gallery wall. Each box contains a different world. Visitors to the exhibition space can walk sideways like a crab and look inside each box, which seems to be placed at eye level with the artist.
The scenes that unfold within the boxes are complete in themselves and have no consistency. One box depicts a movie theater, another a factory, and they are rendered in different colors and materials, and the captions attached below each one are all different numbers. The viewer enters the artist's world by comparing the "personal" space with their own senses and experiences. And the moment they have finished looking at all the works, what unfolds before them is the landscape outside the gallery, the exact opposite of "personal space," that is, the "general world." At that moment, thrown into a world filled with the everyday, they ask themselves what "autonomy" means to them.
The space, with cubes lined up within a white cube, exudes a nervousness somewhat reminiscent of a hospital, which seems to contradict the lethargy hidden in the title of the exhibition, which could be interpreted as a determination to "be independent." However, in this quiet space, the artist may have been trying to slowly invite others, who have the same sensory organs but different sensitivities and emotions, into the world he created one by one to reaffirm his own senses. (Hiroko Haraguchi)

The exhibition "#1" will be held.
Venue: Art Gallery T+
Date: December 2009, 2 - January 23, 2009
Exhibitors: Kaoru Iwasaki (2nd year Western Painting major), Hitomi Annaka (2nd year Western Painting major)

This exhibition features works that represent the growth process of these two polar opposites, who were encouraged by their professor to learn from each other, as they studied each other's paintings in order to acquire what they lacked in themselves.
The works are composed with a greater awareness of the exploration and challenge that is at the heart of creative activity, and attempt a variety of styles.

T+review

When you open the door to the gallery, you are greeted by the unique smell of oil paints, which makes you feel like you've entered a slightly old, barn at home. The exhibition "#2" by Kaoru Iwasaki and Hitomi Annaka, second-year students of Western painting, was held from February 23rd (Mon) to February 2th (Thu), and was a two-person exhibition of oil paintings.
There were two types of cute bookmarks next to the door. Apparently these were also used as direct mail. Moreover, when you put two together, they form a single picture. Of course, I got both types.
Looking at the walls, works of various sizes are hung and arranged, from large ones that catch the eye to small ones that can be displayed in a room. Just by looking around the gallery, it is impossible to tell whether a work is by Iwasaki or Annaka. I'm sure it was a two-person exhibition, so I'm a little confused. Colorful works, works that seem to have few colors, landscapes, portraits, linear works, curved works, works with compositional elements, etc. Not only the size but also the contents of the paintings are really diverse. It even feels like they are all painted by different people. ``This exhibition is a work that represents the growth process of two polar opposites who were told by their professor to learn from each other, and who looked at each other's paintings to acquire what they lacked. It is composed of works that are more conscious of the exploration and challenge that is the essence of creative activity, and they are trying various styles. '' This is what the exhibition summary says, and it is exactly right. Although this is a review, I quoted the words of the exhibitor, but the enthusiasm of the two artists to try various things is conveyed from the works.
　Looking closely at each piece, I can somehow see the characteristics of both artists in their seemingly disparate works. In Iwasaki's work, I can see an image of a somewhat surreal child's play, and in Annaka's work, I can see an image of a warm serenity, like being in a Millet painting. Although this is a very subjective image, it is just my own.
　It was my first time to see so many different styles in a two-person exhibition, and it was a very refreshing experience. I think they created a space that only someone who is still growing and wants to try new things can create. It made me want to see more styles, and at the same time, it made me want to know what kind of paintings the two will ultimately be creating. It was an exhibition that really made me curious about what the future holds.
(Nagisa Fujita)