Makoto Ofune: Eternal

October 29, 2015 - December 19, 2015

Yoshii Gallery is pleased to present Makoto Ofune, a Japanese new-age contemporary artist who is known for re-inventing traditional Japanese methods and concepts of painting. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York showcasing his unique works, and the first time his stone work is being exhibited.

Inspired by wind, sounds, floating air and the taste of his surroundings, Ofune creates an inner scenery of somewhere distant and lends his work a sense of voyeurism and imagination – a glimpse into the blended tonalities of the unknown. Ofune’s works transport viewers back into nature and weave art into the daily rituals of life, as intended in traditional Japanese art. The colors used are created from an ancient method of pounding natural metal ore or gemstones – cinnabar, azurite and malachite – into powdered red, blue and green pigment. The artist meticulously adds multiple layers of the pigments to achieve the desired color. These powdered mineral pigments are then applied onto traditional Japanese rice paper mounted on board. Ofune encourages viewers to get lost in observation of his work, unsure of the proximity of the subject on display and the feeling of staring into a carefully mediated abyss.

Makoto Ofune was born in 1977 in Japan. He graduated from Kyoto University of Education majoring in Japanese Stile painting. Recent exhibitions include Colors of Season – the 26^th National Cultural Festival at Kyoto Japan; From Mono to Mono, The Kyoto University Museum in Kyoto, Japan; BIWAKO Biennale 2012 at Murakumo-gosho Zuiryu-ji Temple in Shiga, Japan; Repères at Espace Topographie de l’art in Paris, France; and ART RAINBOW PROJECT KUNSTHALLE Rosok in Rosok, Germany. Ofune currently lives and works in Shiga, Japan.