AN EXHIBITION BY KISHIO SUGA
TOMIO KOYAMA GALLERY, TOKYO
APRIL 28 – JUNE 10, 2017
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“Mono” (things) in Suga’s philosophy includes not only materials such as wood, stone, metal, or glass, but also invisible and abstract things such as space, human thoughts, consciousness or concepts. He has remarked that he “even doubts whether a stone might not be a stone.” Suga denies things that are widely recognized by everyone else, and attempts to re-recognize the essence of things and existence (reality) through continuous dialogue with them.
Halted Latency, 2017. Wood, acrylic. Image courtesy of Tomio Koyama Gallery, © Kishio Suga
Suga places things sometimes in harmony, and sometimes in juxtaposition in space to complete a work. He does not let things exist on their own, but lets “things” and “things”, “things” and “space”, and “things” and “people” interact, connect, and enclose, revealing a sense of “relevancy” where things are interdependent on each other, the “separation”, “area”, and “complexity” in different ways from how we usually see things exist, as if things presented new forms, situations, or sites.
Cause of Boundary, 2017 wood. Image courtesy of Tomio Koyama Gallery, © Kishio Suga
If we look at the ways “things” exist as themselves, there is always a situation of “interdependence”. When we try to think about a thing, or a situation, many “things” come as attached to the thing that we want to see. What makes it complex is that each thing, whether I get involved directly or not, brings about a presence and sense of reality for it to be “real”. It has its own orientations, and its state claims that it must exist there as it is. Sometimes it looks simple and sometime complex, but they all rely on “interdependency”. There are some things that are directly connected with the thing I want to use, and others are indirect and concealed. If it simply exists there, I would be able to present things (work) easily, but in reality that is not the case. Because we have a premise of “interdependency”, I have to look for the locations each time. That’s why I am always wandering between existence and non-existence. (Kishio Suga, Between Existence and Non-Existence, 2017)
Cause of Boundary, 2017 wood. Image courtesy of Tomio Koyama Gallery, © Kishio Suga
By showing the interdependent relations and supporting connections between thing and thing, thing and consciousness, Suga’s work reveals perspectives on the world which we ordinarily do not notice. His work also invites us to reflect on how we see ourselves and the world.