Dates: Jun 19 – Jul 25, 2009

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Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto is pleased to announce our first exhibition with SHIMURABROS. The exhibition will feature an installation from the duo’s acclaimed “EICON” series.

“Eicon” incorporates an acting style found in early film called slapstick, it employs the use of a special high speed camera in order to reinvigorate the physicality of working motion. (An omission) Eicon examines the methodology of classical acting exploring new aspects of the body and the garment recording images at 0.012 second intervals thus elevating slapstick in the hierarchy of modern film making.

SHIMURABROS.

Concurrent with the opening of a solo show by Shinpei Kusanagi at Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto from June 19, we will introduce within our project space these emerging artists, recently noted in the publication “Japanese Motion Graphic Creators 2009” (BNN, Inc.).

SHIMURABROS. is the sister/brother unit of Yuka and Kentaro. Yuka (born in 1976,Yokohama, Japan, graduated 2006 from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design London) and her brother Kentaro (born in 1979, Yokohama, Japan, graduated 2003 from Tokyo Polytechnic University, College of Art Department of Cinema) known for creating works of moving images in formats such as film, media art and installation.

The “EICON” series from 2008 is based on the popular slapstick comedy movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Stumbling, spinning, jumping etc., this is a conceptual motion work in which they use 4 typical slapstick movements. As the artists have stated,“We took those frames from comedies which were not selected and reinvigorated them by using a high speed camera”, transforming the elements of the original theatrical movements of a comedy and creating a unique beauty and calmness.

SHIMURABROS. film works have been screened at the International Film Festival Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival. By developing their own projection equipment, using the latest CT scanner and high speed cameras, their installations on display in museums and public projects, overthrow a fixed concept of motion-based works and exhibit the artists cutting across genres within their broad range of activities.

At the “Hibernation”themed event, “Artlink in Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse” (winter 2008-09), the video work of SHIMURABROS. unfolded on a gigantic structure of 9 meter height and over 12 LCD panels, creating a fantastical space with use of LED lights installed within a neighbouring ice rink.

Invited within the context of the official “Austria – Japan Year 2009”, SHIMURABROS. participated in the media art festival “CODED CULTURES – Exploring Creative Emergencies” which took place at different venues within the MuseumsQuartier Vienna such as the MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst – Stiftung Ludwig – Vienna) and Freiraum / quartier21. They exhibited a work from the series “X-ray train”: “We connected images of a train that was filmed with a CT scanner for medical use and projected them as 12 unique LCD films from back to front.” This festival is presently scheduled to take place in Japan in the autumn of 2009.

Further, SHIMURABROS. are going to take part in the International Festival for Arts and Media Yokohama 2009 (October 31 – November 29) and are preparing at the moment their new work.

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