Opening Reception：June 5th(Fri)7-9PM
at hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO

We are pleased to announce the opening of the first exhibition of Miki Kubota at hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO, ‘Deshadowed and swelling’. The sense of volume that furniture has, which relates to human body, is one of the key to understand Kubota’s work. She filled the negative space of furniture with plywood and wood filler, and shave it to get smooth surface. The color field of plywood and wood filler appears on the polished surface and suggest the quality of abstract painting. These furniture leave the impression of “buried”. The filled and polished surface shows the evidence of furniture. Kubota’s work contains two aspects, which is the actual form that exists in front of you, and the form that becomes “image” because it is buried. It offers the possibility of contemporary sculpture. In this exhibition, Kubota also challenges the issue of “flat and volume”. Please enjoy new works by Kubota who exhibits actively at established art organization such as Shiseido art egg, Tokorozawa Biennale and Tokyo Wonder Site.

We are pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition, “RING WONDERING” by Daisuke Nagaoka, who draws poetic images with delicate and detailed lines of ink and pencil. Nagaoka makes the imaginative world that contains fragility to disappear into the memory. The title "RING WONDERING" literally means wondering in circle. If you were nowhere without landmarks, lost your sight or lost the sense of direction, you would be walking around in circle unconsciously. 　Nagaoka emphasizes an anxiety of unknown place, the frustration of no exit, or the relief when you realize where you were. Today, the world is changing drastically. Nagaoka expresses the interstice of the world where we exist and the world that Nagaoka sees . 　Born in 1973, Nagaoka graduated from Nippon University and moved to UK. After acquiring M.A. at Wimbledon School of Art in London, he began his career through several solo and group exhibitions, such as the one represented by “Tokyo Water Site” in Tokyo. This will be the second solo exhibition at hpgrp Gallery TOKYO.

Since its inception in 2005, ART FAIR TOYKO has procured its position as Japan's most substantial art fair. The 3rd edition in 2008 attracted a record of 43,000 visitors over four days, included participation from 108 domestic and international galleries. ART FAIR TOKYO 2009 will be the largest art fair we have ever presented with more than 140 galleries from home and abroad. Due to the increasing number of applicants we received this year, ART FAIR TOKYO has decided to add a second venue at the TOKYO BLDG.TOKIA (＠TOKIA). This exhibition space will introduce young, cutting-edge contemporary art galleries.
hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO presents a young talented artist's exhibition every month to enjoy and get to know the pleasure of art just like we do with music or fashion. ART FAIR TOKYO@TOKIA, we will exhibit Daisuke Nagaoka who is know for detailed drawing, Gunma Seinen biennale Grand Prize winner Kanako Ohya, and bronz sculptor Kazuhiro. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
For more info

We are pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition ‘pity is akin to love’ by Tamami Kubota.
She plays with characters who have vivid and dark expression by dynamic stroke and strong contrast.
‘pity is akin to love’、Kubota met this phrase first when she was a high school student, remained for a long time in her mind since then, and chose it as the exhibition title.
Some English playwrite in 17-18 century used this phrase in his book.
This phrase is translated as “ if you feel pity to someone, that means you love that person” in Soseki Natsum’s novel “Sanshiro”.
In this exhibition, Kubota focuses on the man's mind with "Love"
as the theme, and expresses the psychological aspect.
Various characters are spinning the story with pride, jealousy, and regret on the canvas.
This exhibition will bring you the world of Tamami Kubota who made the exhibitions in New York succeed in

TAKA, who offered us the abstract color field work in 2007 that is restructured with the absolute elements of photograph like color, shape, and texture,will present us monochromatic world. In the images with minimum color and vivid texture, the forest of Mt. Yatsugadake shows various expression. Longing to the primordial vitality and the sense of death remind us of "The power of living" that people has forgotten.

New travel started after a huge experiment work. The images that became a material for this body of work are the pictures of Aomori, Iwate, Tochigi, Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, and Wakayama, where the all things in nature activate my memory. This body of work is 2D expression based on my long-time thene, "Hierarchy of time and the memory".
-Ichiro Miyagawa

MUMBLEBOY known for its Flash Animation and Plush Dolls is being exhibited at WALL. Heroes made out of plastic wastes and papers, are back to The Forest. The artist focused his attention back to his roots to make artworks with the energy given from the nature, animals and plants in his new home of Portland, Oregon.

Sculptor kazuhiro Ito' s new challenge for searching the limit of bronze. Dark and harsh texture and mirror polished surface of bronze created in the slow process of congealing from the fusions, evoke organic patterns of plants or animal parts and express inorganic agglomerates.

Art Installation "Ante Vojnovic Xmas of lights" at the gallery space DIVA of E-MA 1st. Flr. in Umeda Osaka. Ante customized 6m high tree and new fluorescent tube chair are must-see.
Opening Reception on Nov.22(Sat.) 18:00－20:00

Takuma Uematsu uses stuffed animal, gemstone and the image of plant to create 2D and 3D works. The unusual combination of various object offers visual resistance and it stimulates our imagination unlimitedly. Wild boar and swan, deer and coral, combined animals are presented as the symbol of all living things at white ‘diorama’ on the table top in this exhibition. Viewers can not stay as the observer in the Forest of Coral, and merges in the white world partially of the chain.

Opening Reception:October 3rd (fri) 7:00-9:00PM
協力：Yumiko Chiba Associates

The unusual title derives from an ancient Japanese word that evokes a sense of distance and alienation. The photographs of Japan-based American-born photographer Michael E. J. Stanley contain great tension of black versus white; this is coupled with an unusual spectrum of rich tones. Such a combination helps the viewer slip away from the present and enter a visual accumulation of history and time. Michael indeed revives the primordial scenery of this country, images that are truly ‘kotosaheku’ – evoking distances from the present that we know.

Opening Reception:September 5th (fri) 7:00-9:00PM

RYOONO is the artist who plays with wall paint, textile and more. RYOONO is also known for graphics, however he faces to “drawings by hand” and develops monochromatic expression in this exhibition. The plant keeps existing even if man disappears, though all living things including man are exterminated when the plant disappears from the earth. RYOONO visualizes "UNDULATION" of living things in the image of the plant.
Opening Reception July 31th (Thr) 7:00-9:00PM

We are pleased to announce the exhibition "Shibuya Zoo" by Tadaomi Shibuya. Shibuya reconstructs various motifs with greatly unique surfaces and straight lines. One year since last solo exhibition "construct", his works have been developed with creatures as new motif. Shibuya creates his original "zoo" with usual animals, extinct animals and futuristic robot-like animals. Animals who are born from his brush are active and full of hope. Shibuya's imagination runs through the history of living thing and show us not only animals but also insects and dinosaurs at his zoo. Shibuya's work is highly evaluated internationally, especially in Europe.

Opening Reception: Jul. 4th (Fri) 7:00〜9:00PM

Yusuke Guji showed us his totally unique perspective through colorful, repetitive images of a house as an exhibition called “Creamy House” in April 2007. He is back with the body of new work as “conpeito”(name of traditional Japanese candy). The diorama world is created with rock-like or candy-like 3D works and 2D works which contains various images. “It is nothing like my grand outlook on the world...it’s just more micro view of the world” said Gunji. The diorama world of imagination was completed slowly and slowly on the table shape miniature garden.

We are pleased to announce the exhibition “sign/kehai”, with new works of Makiko Tanaka, an artist who actively works on a variety of media, such as pencil drawing, water color and installation. Although expression of her imaginative world and emotional description are main concern of her work, she avoids easy “expressive style” and justification of her subjectivity. Her fleeting, but considerably detailed drawing symbolizes her attempt to grab “the sign of existence=kehai”, and it plays the role as a conceptual map of herself. Essences on canvas tell you things about Tanaka, who wants to spread everything on canvas to keep her art pure. In this exhibition, she shows prints and oil paints as well as pencil drawings. Tanaka believes we need to accept the daily life first to witness the unknown landscape we’ve never seen before. hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO director Kentaro Totsuka

Artist’s Comment
There are no specific meanings in small parts of my paintings such as flowers, women, octopus or dumplings. The collective of these would turn to be, however, the original materials for the creation of “the sign of existence=kehai”. I think lively and non-verbal communication between joy and sadness is going on in the abstract air of “kehai”. Though my media is painting, I would like you to feel them in similar way to “music”.
Special Thanks to : Yumiko Chiba Associates/Edition Works

H.P.F, artist Ante Vojnovic becomes the opening artist for one of the HK's most popular shopping center "wtc MORE". Ante's art work will be exhibited at main floor and more. Not only the latest work but also Ante's early works and mini models will be exhibited to show unique, philosophical world of Ante. Please stop by if you have a chance to be in HK.

We are pleased to announce an exhibition, "Aimai na Niwa (ambiguous garden)" by Daisuke Nagaoka, who draws poetic images with detailed, accumulated lines. In this exhibition, not only his drawing works, a 3D work which he caught inspiration from "eusociality"* of bees will be exhibited. The self-sacrificing actions of drawing the line over and over, or keep putting up fragments to create a mass. The worker bees will be flying around to look for their places to be and images to be visualized in the "ambiguous garden", which connect both the self and outer world.

* Eusociality: Insects which have structured social classification are called social insects. When specifying certain kinds of ants, termites, and bees who possess a sterile class, they are termed as eusociality.

Opening reception : Apr. 4th(Fri) 7:00pm-9:00pm

It has been almost a year since hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO start showing contemporary art. The word "Gendai Art (means contemporary art in Japanese)" becomes familiar and it even easily used too much. This group exhibition is named "UNTITLED" because there is no theme to categorize these eight artists.

"UNTITLED"
Kazuhiro Ito, Tamami Kubota, Miki Kubota, Yusuke Gunji, Tadaomi Shibuya, Kentaro Totsuka, Daisuke Nagaoaka, Hisaharu Motoda

Opening reception : Mar. 14th(Fri) 7:00pm-9:00pm

We are pleased to announce a photo exhibition, "In Between" by TAKA, a photographer who is traveling and shooting all over the world. Taka reconstructs the essential elements in photographs; colors, forms, and textures. In his new series, photos are selected and paired by their common character. These pairs show us new stories in between two images, such as passage of time, or coincidental similarities. Taka excludes forms and textures by blurring the focus in large photo series. The amounts of information is reduced and it makes "the feels of the air" in the scenery visible. Almost like color fields of abstract paintings, they will stimulate your primitive senses without the words. All the image visualize the viewpoints of TAKA who capture "something in between".

"Shadow Graph", which is the exhibition designed by the collaboration of Naomi Yamamoto, an apparel designer of "tiny dinosaur", and Yasuaki Kimura and Isuzu from glass artists' unit "JUNIO". In this exhibition, using the original projector produced by JUNIO, the light goes through the glass and knit, and project images. By only using shapeless materials such as lights and shadows, finally images come out to the surface. Such as the combination of a singer and player, composed by subtle harmony and unexpected balance, glass and knit will react to each other. Enjoy fantastic woven by unique combination of materials.

Period : Jan 18th(Fri)-Feb 11th(Mon), 2008 11:00am-8:00pm
Opening reception : Jan 18th(Fri) 7:00pm-9:00pm

A group exhibition by four sculptors who deal with traditional sculptural materials, such as bronze, wood, porcelain and clay. What is the meaning of making “object” in these days while virtual reality or non-materiality occupies major part of our daily life? The relationship between forms, materials and the passage of sculptural time will be presented.

Opening reception : 2007.12.14(fri) 19:00〜21:00
Close from 2007.12.31(mon)〜2008.1.2(wed)