形、色与看不见的世界｜The Invisible World
Duration : 11:00-19:00 (closed on Monday)
Opening : 2023.10.14-2023.12.10
Venue : Room 108, No. 3, Lane 1363, Middle Fuxing Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China 200031
Tel : +86 (0)21 5496 1918
Web : https://www.shunartdesign.com
Artist : 井口 真吾 ｜Shingo IGUCHI (b.1957)
The Invisible World
In the 2010 Shanghai World Expo commemorative print project undertaken by Shun Art Gallery, Shingo IGUCHI was the only cartoonist among the 13 top artists from China and Japan.
After a lapse of 11 years, Iguchi collaborated again with the new space in Tokyo. Iguchi’s works have evolved to have a strong sense of extradimensional space. The characters Z Chan and Rose, who once appeared in his comics, are not only occasionally shown with Vanrogh in the same frame, but sometimes partial figures are also drawn. There is a sense of overlooking, from plane to three-dimensional, to the invisible world, and commonly created characters derived from the Arabic alphabet.
1984 is an era, which was later quoted and adapted into the title of the novel “1Q84” by Haruki Murakami. As everyone knows, it is also quoted from Orwell’s “1984”. This year, Iguchi was 26 years old, and the “Z” of Z Chan was the 26th letter of the Arabic alphabet. Z Chan, who wears a pointed hat, metaphors the despair of this era, using homophones in Japanese.
Rose is a little princess from a wealthy family. She likes to buy and buy, and she never needs to consider specific matters such as the amount. But it’s easy to lose the way in the forest. Then, the invisible guide appears. His surname is unexpectedly Japanese, and he only has a surname but no given name, called Kato. Hahaha, this highly philosophical comic became very popular in the 1980s and became an incredible celebrity in the comic industry. Various publishing houses competed to publish his comics. On the back cover of the classical art magazine [Bijutsu Techo]， he was once placed in an important position in the field of picture books and comics in the history of art.
Quantum mechanics and extradimensional metaverse appear very early in the storyline of his comics. As the era enters the world of artificial intelligence and the metaverse, his forward-looking and avant-garde becomes more prominent after his identity as a cartoonist is transformed into that of an artist.
We see Rose’s mushroom head and the frequently exploding shopping bags, and we can’t help but sweat her “Immersive addiction” in consumer society. What big secrets are hidden in Kato’s invisible figure? Is there any good secret weapon to help Rose find the direction, find the north? This is a glimmer of hope and comfort left in the cruel reality.
This solo exhibition in Shanghai will include new works by artist Shingo Iguchi. I look forward to seeing these works with everyone in Shanghai. He is hardworking on it.
Shun in Okunoto, the northernmost point of Japan
