Whitestone Gallery is honored to present a solo exhibition “Harmony in Nature” by Japanese artist Kazuyuki FUTAGAWA. This exhibition follows his solo show at Whitestone Gallery, Beijing in 2023, showcasing two significant series, “Landscape” and “Memory”. Futagawa focuses on exploring the subtle relationship between humanity and nature, aiming to inspire viewers to explore harmonious coexistence with nature. The exhibition will additionally offer a multi-sensory engagement. We invite audiences to experience Alfie Lin’s nature aesthetics, smell the woody and earthy scent from Aesop, savor herbal teas from CNSalon, and listen to the natural sounds from Level Up Sound, a Taiwanese sound library platform. These senses will guide visitors into the tranquil and natural imagery of Futagawa’s work. The exhibition will be on view from 31st August (Sat.) to 5th October (Sat.) with the opening reception scheduled for 31st August (Sat) at 4:00 pm where the artist will be present.

Kazuyuki FUTAGAWA (b.1954) was born in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Kanazawa College of Art, he studied Nihonga (traditional Japanese Painting) in graduate school at Tokyo University of Arts. While inheriting traditional Japanese painting techniques, Futagawa has dedicated years to creating art using Iwa-enogu (mineral pigments), which requires high proficiency particularly in delineating the details of a painting. These pigments, made from minerals ground into powder and mixed with glue, adhere to the painting surface. He has skillfully employed pigments to depict intricate detail. As the layers of pigment build up, the paint becomes more vivid and dense, creating a sense of depth in the picture. He often incorporates foil into his creations, which would shimmer under varying lighting conditions. By combining linear perspective with light and shadow, he imparts a sense of perspective and texture to traditional flat Japanese painting. His work truly captures the scenery as seen through the artist’s eyes, reflecting the tranquility of the landscape. His art transcends reality, sublimating into a beautiful and dazzling spiritual landscape. Notably, his piece “A Few Seconds’ Gestures” had received the Excellence Award at the “FACE Exhibition, Sompo Art Award Exhibition”, held by the Sompo Museum of Art in 2013.

In his exploration of the relationship between humanity and nature, Futagawa highlights the reality that humans are, in essence, outsiders to the natural environment. While nature provides the resources and diverse ecosystems necessary for human survival as part of its natural order, humans, in turn, disrupt the systems. His work seeks to explore the potential for mutual coexistence, offering a profound reflection on how we interact with nature. This exhibition features the “Landscape” and “Memory” series. Futagawa immerses himself in nature, capturing natural scenes from four distinct seasons in a tranquil atmosphere. In the “Landscape” series, his delicate brushstrokes depict the forest on Yakushima Island as UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mount Fuji, Oirase Gorge etc. These scenes resonate with spirituality, not merely replicating real landscapes but pursuing an aesthetic that honors the raw essence of nature. In his recent “Memory” series, Futagawa has skillfully woven the silhouette of portraits into his landscape compositions. The figures represent wandering humanity, becoming ephemeral passersby in nature, surrounded by blooming flowers and plants, lost amid grasslands and jungles. The portrayal resembles the double exposure effect in film photography, where nature retains its innocence and tranquility before human interference, creating surreal scenes that blur the boundaries of reality and imagination.