EXHIBITIONS

Tomoo Gokita “Diary”

Dates: Sep 9 – Oct 8, 2022
Location: Taka Ishii Gallery Viewing Room (TERRADA ART COMPLEX II)
Opening reception: Friday, Sep 9, 17:00 – 19:00

The gallery will implement necessary measures to prevent coronavirus infections.

Taka Ishii Gallery is pleased to present Tomoo Gokita’s solo exhibition, “Diary”, from Friday, September 9 to Saturday, October 8, 2022. This exhibition marks his sixth presentation at Taka Ishii Gallery since his show two years ago and will feature new color drawings. Bijutsutecho magazine will also showcase Gokita and his work in their special October issue. In conjunction with the exhibition, 888books is publishing Diary, a complete collection of all 164 works.

Since his first exhibition of color paintings in Milan, Italy in 2020, Gokita has continuously engaged with the realm of color in his distinctive practice, including a solo exhibition in Tokyo the same year and two solo shows the following year, one in Los Angeles and another one at Dallas Contemporary. In the latter exhibition, the artist presented 40 new works.

Around 160 acrylic works on paper will be on view at Taka Ishii Gallery’s Tennoz space. Gokita has continued to make these drawings daily, just like a written diary, since last year. The diverse and imaginative subject matter is constructed from a multidimensional perspective with full freedom of expression. In his works, he makes direct use of his flashes of inspiration and ideas, his motives for producing art, and his own feelings influenced by personal and world affairs. The artist captures the day to day with his unique sensibility and observational eye, and his rich visual language creates a multilayered expanse of pictures on small sheets of paper, as if his inner and outer worlds are in perfect balance.

【New release】
Bijutsutecho Magazine, October Issue, Special Feature: Tomoo Gokita
Published by Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha Co., Ltd., 2022
Retail Price: ¥1,980 – (tax incl.)
Release Date: September 7, 2022

Tomoo Gokita, Diary
Design by Satoshi Suzuki
Published by 888books, 2022
Retail Price: ¥3,850 – (tax incl.)
3 types of book jackets available

Born in 1969 in Tokyo. He is based in Tokyo. In the late 1990s, Gokita received acclaim for drawings made with charcoal and ink on paper. His first book Lingerie Wrestling was published in 2000. Starting with a show in New York in 2006, Gokita has exhibited his works in solo exhibitions internationally. In 2012, his work was included in “The Unseen Relationship: Form and Abstraction” at Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art. Followed by “THE GREAT CIRCUS”, a solo show in 2014 at the same museum. Recent solo shows include, “PEEKABOO” (2018) at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery and “Get Down” (2021) held at Dallas Contemporary, Texas. His books and exhibition catalogues include Shuffle Tetsudō Shōka [shuffle railroad songs] (Tokyo: Tennen Bunko, 2010); 777 (Tokyo: 888 Books, 2015); Holy Cow (Tokyo: Taka Ishii Gallery, 2017); PEEKABOO (Tokyo: Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation, 2018); and MOO (Tokyo: Taka Ishii Gallery, 2021).

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