art gallery closet

9/26 12:00 - 20:00
9/27 11:00 - 20:00
9/28 Closed

3F Kasumi-choBdg., 2-11-10 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

03-5469-0355

http://www.gallery-closet.jp

Kiyomi Irie Solo Show: Echo Forms – Atlas of Blanc Space
September 22 (Mon) – October 4 (Sat), 2025
Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri: 12:00 – 18:30 Sat: 11:00 – 18:30
During Art Night: 9/26Fri: 12:00 – 20:00 9/27Sat: 11:00 – 20:00

Space is not just a background. It is a vital part of the painting—freshen the painting and consider it again. I begin each work by carefully listening to that stillness.
For many years, I have been trying to capture the idea of “ma,” or the space between things. This trial rooted both the Japanese traditional aesthetic of blank space, and the intentional tactics of using blank in the Western contemporary art of post-minimalism. This show, “Echo Forms – Atlas of Blank Space,” marks a new and more active step in my trial journey.
In the past, my paintings focused on calm and quiet spaces, created with strong textures and simple shapes. But in this new series, the forms themselves start to move more freely. We can see conversations with the blank space around them, full of energy and tension. This conversation is the result of not only rational construction but also physical impulses appearing in individual organic forms, just as the “Tachism” and “Papier Colle” movements that developed in Europe in the mid-20th century established unconscious impulses as traces.
These forms inherit the legacy of contemporary art, such as the free exploration of color and form of post-painting abstraction. Still, they are an attempt to explore the nature of contemporary abstraction that does not rest on the laurels of any particular style.
The layered textures of canvas and acrylic paint show both planned choices and unexpected accidents. The irregular shapes that appear on the surface reflect inner thoughts and feelings. They echo through the space, like voices calling out and answering each other.
These may be fragments of a new kind of reality, one that appears only when we step away from clear images and look deeper into abstraction.
We live in an era of information overload. We are constantly surrounded by noise and stimulation. This exhibition is my way of pushing back against that—it is an invitation to slow down, to make space, and to reconnect with our inner selves. When viewers let their eyes wander through the space and find their paths, the “map” of the work is complete.