EN
ARTWORKS
名和晃平 / Kohei Nawa
Direction#265 (Not for Sale)
2019
paint on canvas
“Direction” is a painting series where ink pigment descending from the top edge of the canvas forms dots, lines, and planes. During creation, the canvas is mounted vertically on the wall at a 15-degree angle. Ink with adjusted kinematic viscosity slowly flows downward, traversing the canvas mesh at a consistent angle. This process visualizes the presence of gravity, which governs the ink's movement and speed.
PROFILE
Kohei Nawa
Sculptor / Founder and Director of Sandwich Inc. / Professor at Kyoto University of the Arts
Born in 1975. Based in Kyoto. Completed the Doctoral Program in Sculpture at Kyoto City University of Arts Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2003. Awarded the university's first doctoral degree. Founded “Sandwich” in 2009. Focusing on the ‘epidermis’ of sculpture as an interface connecting to the senses, Nawa introduced the concept of the cell (as in cells or grains) as a central axis, presenting “PixCell” in 2002 as a symbol of the information age. Exploring themes of life and the universe, sensibility and technology, he has flexibly interpreted the definition of sculpture. Works like “Direction” (gravity-drawn painting), “Force” (silicone oil cascading through space), ‘Biomatrix’ (bubbles and grids emerging on liquid surfaces), and “Foam” (bubbles growing into massive volumes) create perceptual experiences where the material properties open up to the viewer. In recent years, he has also undertaken architectural projects, including the art pavilion “Koutei.” Since 2015, he has been performing the collaborative work ‘VESSEL’ with Belgian choreographer/dancer Damien Jalet both domestically and internationally. In 2018, his sculpture “Throne” was specially exhibited inside the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in France.