Adolescence never ends.
At the end of 2023 we visited Masaya Yoshioka's studio in Kobe.
When we opened the shutters at the entrance and entered the studio, we found his new 'Adolescence' trilogy on F50 (1167 x 910 mm) and 60 (1303 x 970 mm) canvases, with the paints still drying, arranged slightly higher on the wall.
Young people frolicking as if they cannot wait for the spring season, and a woman dressed in kimono quietly watching them in the distance. When these three paintings are viewed as a single story, what kind of story it is, and how each scene continues as a story, will be completely different for each viewer. It is a multifaceted world that is both the present location of the artist and the present location of each viewer.
We hope that you will discover the myriad stories that emerge through this trilogy as well as through the latest works in this exhibition.
The studio also stores his past works, most of which we were able to see during our visit.
Amongst these works, we came across a work from 2009, which was exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office.
It was a solo exhibition of Yoshioka, held as an exhibition of the winners of a competition organised by the TMG, and was held under unbelievable circumstances: the winning work, which should have been awarded by the TMG, was removed from the exhibition list without any clear explanation, either because of TMG regulations at the time, or anyway from the TMG.
The work we encountered this time, which was barely allowed to be exhibited, had also gone through the process of being exhibited with the male and female motifs erased from the painting, as the TMG had expressed their disapproval of the motifs once painted.
In fact, at this time, a motif that would have been unacceptable from the TMG's point of view somehow escaped censorship and was painted in a small space on the canvas.
As this motif seemed to be connected to Yoshioka's recent works, we decided to show this work for the first time in 15 years at this exhibition, as we considered it to be in line with the theme of 'the Past and Future'.
The exhibition will also coincide with the publication of Masaya Yoshioka's art book "Adolescence '23 Autumn".
The book is a collection of works from the Season 1 solo exhibition held in November 2023, and is edited and produced under the theme of re-enacting a solo exhibition in a different medium, weaving in new interpretations and perspectives only possible after the exhibition.
The publication follows on from the art book 'Adolescence '23 Summer' published at the Season 1 solo exhibition, and both books will be on sale at the exhibition venue.
Ah, spring is coming again this year...
Adolescence never ends.
吉岡雅哉
Masaya Yoshioka
Over the years, Yoshioka has continued to draw images born from the influence of everyday scenes, events, and people.
The images and themes in his works, such as the Blue Period, Prisoner File, Moonlight Viewing, Adolescence, Tinkering in the Garden, West Coast, and Convenience Store, are repeated, forming a series like a long novel that never seems to be completed.
Previously on "the Past and Future"
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Solo Show
the PAST
and FUTURE
Season1 (Autumn '23)
Masaya Yoshioka art book "Adolescence '23 Autumn" (in Japanese)
The art book 'Adolescence '23 Autumn' is a collection of paintings from the exhibition 'the Past and Future Season 1" held in November 2023. (Cover image is provisional).
It will be on sale at the venue of the solo exhibition in conjunction with Season 2.
Solo Show
2011-2023
Prologue (Summer '23)
Masaya Yoshioka art book "Adolescence '23 Autumn" (in Japanese)
This is a collection of artworks from the solo exhibition "2011-2023".
It is edited and produced under the theme of re-enacting a solo exhibition in a different medium, interweaving new interpretations and perspectives only possible after the exhibition.
The book will continue to be sold at the solo exhibition.
