PRETTY PERV 2022
International Contemporary Art exhibition
September, 28th - October, 4th 2022
Milan, Italy and Islas Canarias, Spain
International Contemporary Art exhibition
September, 28th - October, 4th 2022
Milan, Italy and Islas Canarias, Spain
Organized by M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY
Curated by M. Matilde Della Pina
Curated by M. Matilde Della Pina
I exhibited two pieces of artwork at PRETTY PERV 2022, which was held in Milan, Italy, and the Canary Islands, Spain, hosted by M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY. The metaphysical exhibition concept espoused by this gallery is worthy of examination in its pursuit of the root meanings held by forms of expression. I am proud to be invited from Japan to participate in this exhibition, and express my heartfelt gratitude for this opportunity.
M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY 主催、イタリアのミラノとスペインのカナリア諸島で開催された PRETTY PERV 2022展に作品を出展いたしました。このアートギャラリーの掲げる形而上学的な展示会コンセプトは、表現が持つ根源の意味を追究した吟味に値するものです。この展示会に日本から参加させていただけることを誇りに思い、心より感謝申し上げます。
Imaginary Dream / 虚数の夢
Oct 2020 / 65 x 106 cm (Height x Width)
Oct 2020 / 65 x 106 cm (Height x Width)
This piece expresses the idea that this world, which appears as "reality" to our eyes, is in fact only virtual, a false image, and that in the boundary that exists between these two worlds is indeed mystery and beauty. The ancient philosopher Plato described humans as prisoners chained in a cave, watching shadows from the world of ideas, projected by shafts of sunlight onto the walls of the cave, and mistakenly assuming them for reality. But the truth is not what is most important. It is the hope that people cling to, their joy in living, as well as their sadness and foolishness, for God embraces all people, equally and fairly, with his love.
私達の目に映る「現実」と思われる世界は、実像ではなく虚像であり、その境目にこそ神秘や美が潜むという思想がこの作品に込められています。過去の哲学者プラトンは、人間は洞窟の中に閉じ込められた囚人であり、洞窟に差し込む太陽の光がイデアの世界の影を壁に映し出し、それを現実と錯覚していると述べています。しかし大切なのは真実ではなく、人々が持つ希望であり、生きる喜びであり、そして悲しみや愚かさでさえも、神は愛をもって平等に人々を包み込んでくださっています。
Inside Of Me / ある情景
Feb 2020 / 85 x 85 cm (Height x Width)
Feb 2020 / 85 x 85 cm (Height x Width)
The subject put forth by this piece is the conflict which resides within the boundary between self-expression and forms of expression performed by others. At first, this piece began as a form of self-portrait, mixing the motifs of bones and flowers overlaid atop a woman's face. But this process led to what became a sad ordeal for this artist, causing him to lose control of himself in a raging tempest of emotions, leading to this form of expression by an other, based on pure inspiration.
Flying about the face of the woman are doves, the symbols of peace. The Japanese title is "A Certain Scene." At the time when this piece was created, neither the coronavirus nor the current war existed in the world. And when pondering that fact, perhaps this final version has more appeal as a work of art.
I suspect that for most artists, to become a human sacrifice to the gods would be an honor. The reason why is because we can find value only in monotonous tasks, knowing that the resulting fruits of those labors are merely incidental to that process, meaning that the means to gaining pleasure and their purpose exist as inverse opposites to one another.
However, within us resides as well that dogmatic desire to become closer to God, despite our bodies of flesh and blood, just as the soul of a suckling child seeks its mother's breast. As far as God is concerned, both desires shall please him equally.
In our current situation, in which the opinions of right and wrong in the superficial world have become complicated, while the energies of the fundamental world continue to change, it feels as if we are being watched over, to see which path humanity will take. However, whether a baby cries or laughs, it remains an adorable creature. And to God, humans have always remained worthy of his love.
I pray that this piece may at least serve as a single, small record of history, and as a blessing for a new world.
この作品の議題として挙げられるのは、自己表現と他者表現の境界線に潜む葛藤である。当初は女性の顔に骨と花のモチーフが混合した自画像的な作品として制作が進められていたが、その過程に作者にとって哀しい試練があり、烈しい感情と共に我を忘れ、純粋なインスピレーションに基づく他者表現と成り果てた。
女性の顔の周りには平和の象徴である鳩が飛び交っており、邦題は「ある情景」である。この作品が制作された当時の世界には、まだコロナも戦争も存在せず、それを思えばこの完成形の方が作品としての訴求力はあったのかもしれない。
おそらく多くの芸術家にとって、人身御供となることは誉れであろう。何故なら単調な作業のプロセスにのみ価値を見出し、成果物はそれに付随するものに過ぎないという認識でいる為、快楽を得る手段と目的が倒錯しているのである。本能的には猿により近いのではないだろうか。
しかし生身の肉体をもって神に近づきたいという熾烈な願望も併せて存在し、それは母の愛を求める乳飲み子の心と同様、神にとっていずれも等しく喜ばしいことであろう。
表層的世界に正邪の思惑が錯綜し、根源的世界のエネルギーも変容を続ける現在、まるで人類がどちらに歩みを進めるか見守られているように感じる。しかし赤子は泣いても笑っても可愛いものであり、神にとって人類は常に慈しみの対象であることに変わりはない。
この作品がせめて一つの小さな歴史の記録となり、そして新しい世界への祝福とならんことを祈る。
Introduction written by M. Matilde Della Pina:
Masaki Hirokawa is a renowned Japanese artist whose wide range of activities includes digital artworks, graphic design, smartphone app development, interactive movie production and website development. At “Pretty Perv” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY, Masaki presents two beautiful and deep artworks.
The first one, "Imaginary Dream," depicts a young girl who, thanks to Masaki's artistic collages, seems to emerge from a mirror placed on a table, embellished with large white flowers standing next to it. The young girl seems caught in the moment of a dream, of a beautiful one as seems to transpire from her outstretched face and relaxed pose. But like every work by Masaki, this work conceals a deep meaning: it in fact expresses the idea that this world, which appears as "reality" to our eyes, is in fact only virtual, a false image, and that in the boundary that exists between these two worlds is indeed mystery and beauty. The ancient philosopher Plato described humans as prisoners chained in a cave, watching shadows from the world of ideas, projected by shafts of sunlight onto the walls of the cave, and mistakenly assuming them for reality. But the truth is not what is most important. It is the hope that people cling to, their joy in living, as well as their sadness and foolishness, for God embraces all people, equally and fairly, with his love.
The second work in the exhibition, "Inside of Me," depicts another young girl caught three-quarter frontally, surrounded by five doves fluttering around her head. The image, thanks to the light from above illuminating the young girl's face but also to the symbolic peaceful meaning of the animal, takes on the connotations of a mystical image full of even religious significance. As the artist in fact relates, the subject put forth by this piece is the conflict which resides within the boundary between self-expression and forms of expression performed by others. At the time when this piece was created, neither the coronavirus nor the current war existed in the world. And when pondering that fact, perhaps this final version has more appeal as a work of art. I suspect that for most artists, to become a human sacrifice to the gods would be an honor. The reason why is because we can find value only in monotonous tasks, knowing that the resulting fruits of those labors are merely incidental to that process, meaning that the means to gaining pleasure and their purpose exist as inverse opposites to one another. However, within us resides as well that dogmatic desire to become closer to God, despite our bodies of flesh and blood, just as the soul of a suckling child seeks its mother's breast. As far as God is concerned, both desires shall please him equally. In our current situation, while the energies of the fundamental world continue to change, it feels as if we are being watched over, to see which path humanity will take. However, whether a baby cries or laughs, it remains an adorable creature.
Introduction written by M. Matilde Della Pina (Japanese translation):
グラフィックデザイン、スマートフォンアプリ開発、インタラクティブムービー制作、ウェブサイト制作など、幅広い活動を展開する日本人アーティスト 廣川政樹。M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY 主催の PRETTY PERV展では、美しくも奥深い二つの作品を発表します。
一つ目の作品「Imaginary Dream」では、テーブルの上に置かれた鏡とその横にある白い花から浮かび上がる少女が描かれています。少女の表情やリラックスしたポーズから、まるで美しい夢の様子が伝わって来るかのようです。しかしこの作品には深い意味が隠されています。私たちの目に『現実』として映るこの世界はバーチャルな虚像に過ぎず、現実世界との境界にこそ神秘や美が存在しているという様を表現しています。古代哲学者のプラトンは、人間を洞窟に閉じ込められた囚人に比喩しました。人間は太陽の光に照らされ洞窟の壁に映し出された真実の世界の影を見て、それを現実であると誤って認識していると提唱しています。しかし最も重要なのは真実ではありません。人々が持つ希望、熾烈な願望、生きる喜び、また悲しみや愚かさ。それらを含めて神は全ての人々を平等かつ公平に、その愛で包み込んでいるのです。
二つ目の作品「Inside Of Me」では、少女が頭の周りを羽ばたく五羽の鳩に囲まれた光景が描かれています。天辺から差し込む光が少女の顔を照らし、それに平和の象徴である白い鳩が合わさることで、宗教的な意味合いさえ持つ神秘的なイメージに仕上がっています。この作品の主題は、自己表現と他者表現の境界に存在する葛藤であると作者は述べています。この作品が制作された当時、世界にはコロナウイルスも戦争も存在しませんでした。それを踏まえるとこの最終形は作品として、より魅力的なものとなっているのかもしれません。多くのアーティストにとって、神の人身御供となることは名誉なことなのではないでしょうか。何故ならアーティストは単調な作業にのみ価値を見出し、その成果物は付随的な要素に過ぎず、喜びを得るための手段とその目的が倒錯しているからです。しかし乳飲み子が母の乳房を求めるように、血と肉により造られた体を持ちながらも、神に近付きたいという欲求が私達の中に存在しています。神からすれば、いずれも等しく喜ばしいものでしょう。根源的世界のエネルギーが変容し続ける現在、人類がどのような道を歩むのか見守られているような気がします。しかしながら、赤ん坊は泣いても笑っても、神にとって愛しい存在であることに変わりはないでしょう。
Concept by Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo:
"Don't think of an orchid. You will think of an orchid."
A simple and satisfying act of resistance, a mechanism that attacks proper knowledge to overturn the dictates of the relationship. The perverse thinking. Perversion as a modification of instinctive tendencies, abandonment of the faith, of the orthodox, of the normal. Interruption of innocence before its own fulfillment. A melancholy and intoxicating state that through the work of art declares a siege inviting pure aesthetic contemplation. The beauty, the subjectivity of the supreme kind of values. The resolution of conflict and disturbance, order and decorum. At the same time, the conflict, the turmoil, the chaos and the indecent. Perverse is the beauty at the time of the super-present, sparkling and elusive that forces the user to pure contemplation as an indefinable means of enjoyment. An emotional composition, made of delicate gestures and graceful bodies that join the wind for the tribal dance of the new day. An ecstatic shock that transforms us, the perverse thought as an experience. Aesthetic event that leads to the reflection of ideal primitiveness, "You have to change your life”, Rilke in front of an ancient torso of Apollo, perversion travels in the archetype of things, from which there is no point that he does not see life as such.
"So we instinctively run after objects that can excite our passions, although they exercise impressions on us that often cost us restless nights and unhappy days; but men suffer more from a life without passions than from the suffering aroused by passions". With these words, Jean-Baptiste Du Bos describes the deep disturbances of the human soul, those that make the nights pass awake and that make the belly twist at the thought of something that stirs the imagination. Man is attracted to what he does not understand and what frightens him deeply fascinates him at the same time. Philosophers such as Kant over the years have studied how the concept of "sublime" is combined with art and Friedrich represented it in his paintings, which leave spectators and viewers fascinated and frightened at the same time. Every human perversion is justified by instinct and overcomes the fear that instils the idea of the forbidden and manages to go beyond the concept of danger itself. Man cannot help but pursue his deep cravings and desires, even though these ultimately lead to intrinsic suffering and despair. By nature, we are led to follow instincts and to satisfy our desires, however far they are from socially shared ethics and rationality, all in their intimacy show inclinations or behaviors that in everyday life in front of others do not let it leak out and this is part of the human spirit. The sight of fire is beautiful to the human eye, yet it burns. As well as the view of the glaciers or the open sea. They are fascinating and arouse deep emotions, yet they remain a danger for the man who does not know how to live with elements of this type that can harm his safety. This does not mean that he will begin to avoid them, but he will find himself more and more involved and fascinated by the force of nature and the beauty of danger. Perversion itself carries a series of taboos in which man feels stripped of his security and dignity, yet as Oscar Wilde wrote, "the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it”.
Artists have always exercised their autonomy with deliberate acts of resistance to the expected, the reasonable, the moral. The recent history of art cites Joan Jonas, Carol Rama, Amalia Ulman, Camille Henrot, as authors with an undisciplined mind, whose precise and attractive gesture is also a way to establish themselves as authentic beings whose artistic product is perversion and existential will. What's my purpose, if I only do what makes sense? Why is my conscience more relevant than my instincts? Fresh, intoxicated and intoxicating, emotional landscapes, portraits of adolescent vivacity, here and now.
M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY calls its artists to navigate unknown waters, to exercise their will, to let themselves go to the sublime, to experience that interrupted innocence that will inevitably make itself felt with a sigh, perhaps melancholy, perhaps perverse.
