Yutaka Kikutake Gallery is pleased to present, “marmelo and the two sides” a solo exhibition of works by Kouichi Tabata from December 2^nd 2017 to January 27^th, 2018. The exhibition comprises three new painting works in addition to nine photo-collages. Since 2016 Tabata has been working on his “one way or another” series that experiments with new approaches to oil painting and drawing. These works depict objects surrounding the artist from plants, fruit, and teacups to cakes, while demonstrating a shift in perspective, consciousness, and other technical elements present in the context of painting such as the support medium and motif. His works adopt structures that harbor a sense of tranquility and at the same time elegantly suggests the history of painting, and have continued to receive increasing acclaim.

Meanwhile, in the collage works produced with similar motifs and based on photographs shot by Tabata himself, the creation of white spaces and the subtle effects of distortion serve to create compositions that straddle two and three dimensionality. Such works along with Tabata’s other projects including “one way or another,” can indeed be considered as significant elements in thinking about the future of two-dimensional works, as well as the possibilities of painting.

An opening reception with the artist in presence will be held on Saturday, December 2^nd.

Koichi Tabata
Born in 1979 in the Tochigi prefecture. Tabata received a B.A in Intermedia Art in 2004 from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 2004, where he also received an M.A in Oil Painting in 2006. He currently lives and works in Berlin having completed a residency there with the Grant for Overseas Research, Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation in 2011, followed by a residency with the Grant for Overseas Research supported by the Pola Art Foundation. Tabata’s works are included in the public collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (Tokyo), Toyota Art Collection (Aichi), and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo).

Announcement of new publication, “one way or another”

Release date: December 1^st 2017, published by Yutaka Kikutake Gallery

Soft cover, total 56 pages, featuring 12 works

Text by: Hikotaro Kanehira, Takuya Nakao

Price: 3000 yen (limited edition of 300)