PRESS RELEASE
RIUSUKE FUKAHORI
The Painted Breath
NOVEMBER 21 - JANUARY 18, 2014
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, November 21, 6– 8pm
Joshua Liner Gallery is pleased to present The Painted Breath, an exhibition of new
resin works and paintings by Yokohama-based artist Riusuke Fukahori. This will be
Fukahori’s debut solo exhibition in New York.
Fukahori is not a resin artist. He is not a traditional Japanese artist. Riusuke Fukahori
is a goldfish fanatic. The goldfish are a metaphor for his life. At his lowest point—
ready to give up and get a “real job”—he saw his neglected goldfish in their dirty
tank and recognized something. Something inside him was hooked and he was the
one caught by the fish.
Goldfish—which were once kept outside and survived on their own—must now
be fed regularly and do not survive through winter without heat lamps. Goldfish
will die from the water they themselves pollute if it is not cleaned for them. The
artist sees himself and his own weaknesses as a modern human, reflected in the
evolution of goldfish.
Fukahori keeps dozens of goldfish in tanks, bowls, and buckets around his studio.
The artist says when he is tired or feeling lost with what he’s working on, he simply
sits and watches the goldfish. He sketches them, too, but mostly he is trying to
commit them to memory. The artist does not use photographic source material,
so when he paints, he paints from memory—his pre-sketches are almost unrecognizable as fish. When one of his fish dies, he removes it from the water to sketch
it at every angle. Fukahori paints the images of these goldfish-friends in his work
so their inspiration will live on.
After finding the focus of his work, it took the artist more than a year to decide to
use resin to realize his passion. And once he began using resin, he kept it a secret
for eight years until he could perfect the technique. He found resin to be the ideal
medium to depict his characters, but more importantly it allowed him to use the
vessels he wanted to encapsulate the work. Just as important as the resin, he
considers the receptacles to be the key to his pieces. In response to others now
using the same technique, Fukahori says, “I didn’t invent resin and not the first to
use resin. I am not a resin artist. I am a goldfish artist. I think it’s obvious which
pieces are Riusuke Fukahori pieces because the imitators use the wrong containers.
They will never understand goldfish the way I do. They are only copying the craft,
not the soul.”
Each of Fukahori’s resin pieces are contained in Japanese household items. Many of
these were bowls and cups that he himself used for years until they broke. Without
any intentional aspiration, Fukahori is a reflection of Japanese culture, giving us an
idea of what it’s like to be in a Japanese home. Every element of his work is precious and personal. He remembers his goldfish-friends that have passed away, using his favorite cracked miso soup bowl—evident in the work Warewan. The cracks
in the bowls and the goldfish he chooses to paint are expressions of his affection.
Fukahori strives to paint the goldfish as realistically as possible. When first introduced to his work, people often try to reach into the “water” to touch the fish.
Pouring a layer of resin, letting it dry, then painting a small portion of the fish, letting
it dry, then pouring another layer of resin—patiently repeating these steps until the
final product is a three-dimensional representation of a goldfish. Not only in his
resin works, you can see the artist integrating his passion in other areas. Fukahori
has used his extensive knowledge of goldfish to invent new breeds, as seen in his
painting Hinshu Shirasumi Soramitsu. When asked about his future plans, he sees
his goldfish swimming in space. His goal is to paint his goldfish on a rocket ship.
Underneath it all, Riusuke Fukahori is a prankster. Ever since he was a child he loved
tricking his friends at school—even the teachers. He would make realistic looking
objects out of clay and place them in strategic locations. From a hiding spot, he
would watch their reactions and loved seeing their surprise when they thought
these hand-made objects were real. When people see his work today and do a
double take, he still feels that boyish satisfaction.
Born in 1973 in Aichi prefecture in Japan, Riusuke Fukahori currently lives and works
in Yokohama. Selected solo exhibitions include The Painted Breath at Joshua Liner
Gallery, New York, NY (2013); Goldfish Salvation at ICN Gallery, London, UK (2011);
The SOLO Project, Basel, Switzerland (2011); Galerie an der Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany (2010). Group Exhibitions include Direct Address (2013) and
Summer Group Exhibition (2012) at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY; Mystery
at Hamada City World Children’s Museum, Hamada, Shimane (2005).
Also on view in Gallery I, Kris Kuksi: Revival, November 21, 2013 to January 18, 2014.
Warewan, 2013
Half wood bowl, resin, acrylic
4 x 3.5 x 3 inches
Hishaku ni Ake, 2013
Ladle, resin, acrylic
8.25 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches
Aizuitsu (detail), 2013
Aizu-nuri lacquerware, resin, acrylic
15.75 x 16.5 x 3.75 inches
Karemoni, 2013
Ceramic bowl, resin, acrylic
8 x 2x4 inches
ABOUT JOSHUA LINER GALLERY
In an eclectic range of mediums and approaches, Joshua Liner Gallery presents an exciting roster of established and emerging artists from the U.S and abroad. Founded in 2008
in New York City’s Chelsea Arts District, gallery artists reveal disparate influences but all
share an affinity for pushing the boundaries of discipline and presentation. Celebrating its
fifth anniversary in New York, Joshua Liner Gallery opens a 2,600-square foot, street-level
space in north Chelsea.
CONTACT
Please visit www.joshualinergallery.com, or contact Elizabeth Kurita at 212.244.7415 or
[email protected].
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter | Facebook | Flickr | Tumblr | Instagram
Gallery Hours
Tuesday — Saturday
11 — 6 pm
Address
540 West 28th Street
New York, NY 10001
P (212) 244-7415
F (212) 244-7416
Email
[email protected]