VENUES

The word anomaly means a deviation from the common order or rule. It can also mean an irregularity, something that cannot be explained by classical theory or by general consideration. Founded in October 2018, ANOMALY asks if overwriting the system of an “art gallery”—once brought from Europe and North America—with flexibility that corresponds to the context of contemporary arts in Japan and beyond, but particularly within Asia, can demonstrate more fluidity and suitability in unique ways. With this approach, ANOMALY aims to find its own new path.

In accordance with social conditions and needs, ANOMALY is driven to spread its wings in its presentation of variously formatted exhibitions, performances, and events, such as talks and public programs that emerge from extensive research and dialog. ANOMALY works continuously to cultivate culturally fertile soil to keep seeding change and to expand creativity beyond the existing framework of an “art gallery.”

ANOMALY is pleased to present two solo exhibitions: Kei Imazu’s “Mapping the Land / Body / Stories of Its Past” and Kosuke Nagata’s “Equilibres.”

Kei Imazu executes paintings on canvases based on sketches created by digitally recomposing materials collected from numerous sources, ranging from classical masterpieces to social media. Through this process, the artist questions what role painting can take in our contemporary period as an extension of the history of the medium, which has been influenced by various technological and scientific advances. The motifs explicitly depicted in the works for this exhibition are animals in danger of extinction in Indonesia, where Imazu is currently based, and various female figures. Imazu takes her personal perspective as a starting point to depict elemental subjects, such as evolution and life, and blends modern technology with traditional media to show how they are inseparable from the destruction of the earth’s ecosystem and environment.

Locating fundamental concepts such as social structures, today’s media technologies, and our sensory system in his artistic interest, Kosuke Nagata’s work continues to emerge ambiguity in the process of distinguishing one from another. “Equilibres,” the show’s title, is borrowed from a series of works by Peter Fischli and David Weiss and the exhibition will be centered around Nagata’s newly produced sculptured inspired by the titular series. Nagata is striving to grasp the problem of image in the contemporary age through the multi-layered process utilizing today’s media environment.