√K Contemporary Presents "Kosai Hori Retrospective" - An Exhibition of Hori's Early to Recent Works

Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan, February 08, 2021 --(PR.com)-- √K Contemporary (Root K Contemporary) is proud to present Hori Kosai Retrospective, an exhibition of approx. 30 of Kosai Hori's early to recent works, from February 13, 2021 (Sun.) to March 6 (Sat.), 2021.

Recognized for leading the liberal artistic movements of his era, Kosai Hori has immersed himself in various forms of artistic expression since the '70s. Tracing the artist's development from his early to recent career, the exhibition consists of two sections, PART I (Early to Mid-Period Paintings: 1978-1991) and PART II (Recent Paintings, The Garden of the Fall and Rebirth: 2015-2019). Exhibiting works includes those widely exhibited domestically and worldwide, as well as never-before in-Japan exhibited works.

Poetic and evocative, Hori's paintings are renowned for their strength and lyricism. Superimposing upon one another like a ritual recitation, his lines develops into an obscured, interlaced surface and, as each passing gesture embroiders the composition- the work transforms into something tranquil and pacified.

Held in conjunction with two related exhibitions, this will be the first-ever attempt to a comprehensive display of Kosai Hori's work.

Exhibition Highlights
Part I｜Early to Mid-Period Paintings: 1978-1991
"Following the "avant-garde" of the 60s, the rise of anti-art, minimalism, and conceptual art in the 70s compelled the reassessment and complete reconstruction of artistic theory. While also creating various performances and installations, I continued to paint with that mindset...What is exhibited here is a time when I was entirely devoted to painting.” (Kosai Hori)

Part II ｜Recent Paintings, The Garden of the Fall and Rebirth: 2015-2019
"It was a mysterious garden. I planted various seeds and plants from all over the world. Most of them failed to grow and quickly perished. However, some could adapt to their environment and survived by hybridization, through mating with other plants. While these plants were compelled to crossbreed to survive, the garden was undeniably sensual... My wife said to J, 'This is the garden of fall and rebirth.' For a moment, J was confused, but nodded and said: 'that's a good phrase' and continued, stating "Kosai's endless drawing, that too is an undeniable act of fall and rebirth."
(Kosai Hori)

Event Details
Title｜Kosai Hori Retrospective
Schedule｜Feb. 13 (Sat.) to March 6 (Sat.) 11am to 7pm (Closed Sun. & Mon.)
Venue｜√K Contemporary*
*Operated by SEI-RIN Co. Ltd.
Address: 6 Minamicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0836
Tel: (+81) (0)3-6280-8808
Email: info@root-k.jp ｜ URL: https://root-k.jp/en
Organizer｜√K Contemporary
Co-operator｜Mizuma Art Gallery
URL｜https://root-k.jp/exhibitions_en/kosai-hori-retrospective/
Depending on the state of COVID-19, business days and hours are subject to change.

Visitation
Visitors will be asked to co-operate with countermeasures against the coronavirus. To avoid overcrowding, admission might be restricted.

Related Kosai Hori Exhibitions
Kosai Hori + Erize Hori Installation
Title｜To Remember - Who am I?
Schedule｜Feb. 13 (Sat.) - March 26 (Fri.), 2021. 11am to 7pm (Closed Sundays & Mondays)
Venue｜Space √K (√K Contemporary B1F, 6 Minamicho, Shinjuku-ku)
Entry｜800 yen (Part of the proceeds will be donated towards supporting the Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction)
Organizer｜Japan Art Inheritance Association
Co-operators｜Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels, Mizuma Art Gallery and SEI-RIN Co., Ltd.
URL: https://root-k.jp/exhibitions_en/kosai-hori_erize-hori_to- remember-who-am-i

Kosai Hori Exhibition of New Works
Title｜Touching so close and having an openness
Schedule｜February 24 (Wed.) - 27 March 27 (Sat.), 2021. 12am-6pm (Reservations Required)
Venue｜Mizuma Art Gallery
Address: 2F Kagura Bldg., 3-13 Ichigayatamachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0843
Tel: +81 (0)3-3268-2500｜URL: https://mizuma-art.co.jp/en
URL｜https://mizuma-art.co.jp/en/exhibitions/2102_hori/

The Artist: Kosai Hori
In 1967 he entered Tama Art University, and in the same year with the assistance of his peers he staged the performance piece “Self-Burial Ceremony,” with which his career as an artist began. He was also active in the Japanese student demonstrations of the late 1960s, from within which he became one of the founders, and subsequently leader, of a movement known as Bijutsuka Kyoto Kaigi (Artists Joint-Struggle Council) or “Bikyoto,” which sought to interrogate the institutionalized nature of art. The works of his early career tended to overlap with the activities of that movement, created as pieces questioning the foundations of art itself. With the aim of breaking through the boundaries of modernist painting, such works took a retroactive approach to the history of painting and become a process of searching for its origins. Departing from this source, Hori traced the development of painting’s formation within Eastern nations and within Japan - and in so doing his own personal pictorial space took form. Meanwhile, he also began zealously developing installation and performances pieces resonating with the many issues and phenomena emerging “on the borderlines” of the society and art of “here and now.” His works have been shown at numerous international exhibitions, including the 1977 and 1984 Venice Biennale.
(Sourced from the Mizuma Art Gallery website)