Report: Solo Show “Contingency Landscape”
From October 4 to 16, 2025, I held my solo exhibition “Contingency Landscape” at Mizoe Art Gallery Fukuoka. This exhibition was prepared in only a few weeks after returning from my production residency in Indonesia, and it became an intensely concentrated show—one in which the energy that had been swirling inside me was shaped directly into form.
A New Sensation of “Iron” Born from My Stay in Indonesia
During my month in Bandung, I continued creating while researching volcanoes and immersing myself in the local environment and daily life. Using the welding room at Bandung Institute of Technology, I bent and welded steel rods on the spot, drawing lines into space. It was not a process of delicate craftsmanship, but one of shaping the immediate burst of energy—capturing the moment in a single, decisive gesture. This experience felt like my creativity had exploded for the first time in a long while.
The work Stone Garden, which I presented locally, was an attempt to “draw landscapes with steel lines.” After returning to Japan, I continued working with that sensation—allowing the mythical mountain ranges of my hometown in Gokase, Miyazaki, and the volcanic landscapes of Indonesia to overlap with the inner landscapes of memory. In this exhibition, these steel installations formed the core of the show.
Light and Iron — New Works Born from Their Fusion
I also created new pieces from my long-running Sha-ko-seki (Light-Imprinted Stones) series. In addition, I presented a new body of work, Dimensional Light, which combines steel structures with the Sha-ko-seki technique. Photographs of light taken in Indonesia were printed on washi paper and applied onto steel lines, giving the impression that light itself rises into the space with a sense of weight and gravity. Although the series is still in an early developmental stage, I strongly feel its potential for future expansion.
Reconstructing Light and Photography — Lightscape
The exhibition also included the Lightscape series, created by cutting photographs into stripes and fragments using the Sha-ko-seki method and recomposing them. Through geometric arrangements and rhythmic stripes, light reveals itself on the surface with new textures and refined visual rhythms.
The Light Series in Watercolor — Light Dwelling Within
I also showed works from the Light watercolor series, painted with transparent watercolor on cotton. Soft, bleeding layers express the “renewed light” that emerges from memories of travel and inner landscapes. These works did not lead to immediate sales, but I strongly feel their artistic potential and intend to continue developing this area.
Steel Relief Works
A surprisingly well-received work in this exhibition was a piece in F80 size, in which short steel rods were placed randomly across a large panel. The black steel lines generated rhythms across the white surface, evoking impressions such as “sunlight filtering through leaves,” “plant roots,” or “natural pulse,” depending on the viewer. While creating it, I emptied my mind and focused solely on the act of connecting lines. It became a series that foregrounded the raw presence and allure of steel.
Looking Back on the Exhibition
This was my first solo exhibition at Mizoe Gallery in two years. Because I created and prepared the works in a whirlwind immediately after returning from Indonesia, the show left me with a strong sense of fulfillment. The overwhelming presence of steel, the “materialization of light” in the Sha-ko-seki series, and the new potential revealed in Dimensional Light—all of these felt like a convergence of the expression I have built over time and the energy I gained in Indonesia. I feel I have stepped onto a new starting line. With this experience as a guide, I hope to continue evolving—both my work and myself.
Kazutaka Shioi Solo Exhibition “Contingency Landscape”
Dates: October 4 (Sat) – October 19 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Open daily during the exhibition period)
Venue: Mizoe Gallery Fukuoka (1-2-5 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka)
Details: Mizoe Art Gallery Website
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