NANZUKA UNDERGROUND is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of works by Tomoki Kurokawa (1975-).

The exhibition features 10 new works completed in the past 12 months especially for this exhibition. It comprises of paintings and sculptures including one large canvas　measuring approximately 3m x 2.5m.

Despite showing a talent for painting as a child, Kurokawa has no formal education or training in fine art. He is a self-taught artist who has created his own visual languages by “studying on his own in libraries and museums”. When asked about his career, he commented, “I attended a high school where none of the student went on to higher education, so I felt art colleges were not for me.” It is for this lack of exposure to formal training and for the originality that came out of it that his work shows such unique aesthetic.

One aspect of the artist’s work is evident in his line drawings made without preliminary sketches, the conventional drawing technique used to make 3-dimensional objects. The drawings, reminiscent of industrial blueprints or computer generated vector graphics, are analytical but at the same time deeply subjective, and succeed in evoking a sense of distance between the subject and the viewer.

Although Kurokawa identifies himself as “an outsider” because he is self-taught, the ever-expanding definition of contemporary art has reached the point that allows him to be absorbed into its canon, which might be good for both sides. Regarding the theme of this exhibition and the necessity of art in contemporary society, Kurokawa comments:

“Art is no better than rubbish if there’s no recognition. On the other hand, even rubbish could turn into a treasure if it’s accepted as art. I gather together things that people would not bother to look at and then use them as a source of imagery. Things like discarded sweet wrappers, magazine cutouts or anonymous images “found” on the Internet. If you can imagine a hierarchy of images from rubbish to quality, my role may be compared to that of recycling.”