磯邊行久回顧展 1950s - 1960s

磯邊行久：回顧展 1950s - 1960s+

提到磯邊行久，最廣為人知的是他發表於日本越後妻有大地藝術祭的環境藝術之一〈河在哪兒？〉，黃色旗幟飄揚在綠油油的田野間，以土地為畫布，利用鮮明的色彩對比，連結蜿蜒的虛線曲線，標示出信濃川的歷史過往河道，透過引領人們認識環境的變遷，這是早年學習藝術，爾後專研生態環境學的磯邊行久近幾年熱衷的創作方式。藝術祭策展人北川富朗曾經如此形容：「磯邊行久所做的事正是我想做的：美術＝掌握人類自然與文明之間關係的方法。」

2018年磯邊行久紀念越後妻有清津倉庫美術館盛大開幕，館內展出磯邊行久歷年的作品，除了與環境調查相關的項目之外，還包括油畫、紋章系列作品、降落傘衣計劃相關製圖，讓參訪者驚艷於磯邊創作歷程的曲折轉變。磯邊行久1935年出生於東京，1954年進入東京藝術大學油畫系，師從日本昭和時代油畫代表畫家之一小磯良平，加入多元媒體藝術家瑛九所組成的「民主美術協會」[1]，曾經接連參展當時前衛藝術聚集的《讀賣獨立展》[2]，並於青山設立工作室，嘗試版畫製作。受到瑛九與歐洲藝術的影響，磯邊的油畫作品漸趨抽象，更因畢業製作不符合校方規定，而無法如期畢業。

1961至1965年之間，磯邊創作了大量以石粉為材料，「紋章」形狀元素重複排列的作品，這些「紋章」令人聯想到50年代風靡流行的常春藤風格服裝上的裝飾，通俗的符號語彙複製，壁畫般質感，浮雕式的構造，成了磯邊獨樹一格的系列創作，開始受到國內外的矚目，並獲得創作大型公共藝術的機會。其後延伸發展出巨大驚喜盒般的木箱裝置，箱內格子裡排列著磯邊日常收集的商業標籤、卡片、印刷品、紋章等當時現代化大量生產的複製品，木箱外側卻引用十七世紀俵屋宗達[3]的〈風神雷神〉等日本近代繪畫，兩個不同時空在木箱的開關之間交錯，無法一舉透視作品整體面貌的設計，更加引發觀者打開蓋子的好奇心與慾望。2020年今日，我們則可透過磯邊的作品，窺視當年的社會大眾文化樣貌。

1965年磯邊於歐洲個展結束後，移居美國將近八年，從此藝術生涯有了巨大改變。利用空氣流動和降落傘衣創作「飄浮雕塑」，為首屆地球日創作「空氣穹頂」，開啟了他學習環境計畫之門，隨之進入賓夕法尼亞大學碩士班研讀，重心轉往生態環境之後，透過將環境問題視覺化，意圖喚起人們對環境變化的注意。1974年返回日本，在東京工業大學等學校擔任教職的同時，亦受政府委託進行生態環境調查，並且持續發表環境藝術作品。

白石畫廊台北空間很榮幸地將舉辦磯邊行久的回顧展，本展亦是藝術家於台灣的首次個展。藉由藝術家提供的早年與近期照片、影片，梳理回顧他的創作歷程，並將聚焦於磯邊1950至1960年代的創作，展出包含大學畢業作品在內的油畫創作、紋章系列、以及木箱等近四十件作品。

磯邊行久的作品收藏於東京國立近代美術館、京都國立近代美術館、國立國際美術館、東京都現代美術館、岐阜縣立美術館、青森縣立美術館、高松市美術館、新瀉縣立近代美術館、靜岡縣立美術館、三重縣立美術館、大原美術館、SEZON現代美術館、以及紐約現代藝術博物館等

1：民主美術協會（Demokrato Artists Association），以瑛九（Ei-Q）為首，與泉茂（Shigeru Izumi）、早川良雄（Yoshio Hayakawa）一同於1951年創立，於1957年解散，該會拒絕畫壇的權威主義，提倡獨立自主精神，參加者不限藝術家，還包括藝評家、設計師等，陸續加入久保貞次郎（Sadashiro Kubo）池田滿壽夫（Masuo Ikeda）、靉嘔（Ay-O）、磯邊行久等。
2：讀賣獨立展（Yomiuri Independent），1949年至1963年間，由日本讀賣新聞社與東京都美術館主辦，無審查形式的展覽，給予前衛藝術家們發表作品的機會。
3：俵屋宗達（Sotatsu Tawaraya），活躍於十七世紀初期，被譽為日本近代最具影響力的畫家之一，是「琳派」的代表性人物，其創作的〈風神雷神〉被選定為日本國寶。

展覽｜磯邊行久：回顧展 1950s - 1960s
展期｜2020年8月1日至9月20日 (每週一公休)
開幕｜8月1日 (六)
地點｜白石畫廊‧台北：台北市內湖區基湖路1號1樓

Title｜Yukihisa ISOBE: A Retrospective 1950s - 1960s
Dates｜August 1 - September 20, 2020 (Closed on Mon.)
Opening｜August 1 (Sat.)
Venue｜Whitestone Gallery Taipei, 1F, No.1, Jihu Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City, 114, Taiwan

When the people talk about Yukihisa Isobe, the best-known artwork is his environmental art art "Where has the river gone?". With the yellow flags floating on the still green filed, and the brown land becoming like a canvas, these bright, eye-catching colors lined out the winding road and marked out a history channel of the Shinano River. "Where has the river gone?" is one of Isobe's iconic creations after his passionate devotions in Ecology whereas his early study was actually in fine art. Fram Kitagawa, the curator of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, once said: what Isobe currently does is exactly what I am longing for which art is a status quo between the relationship of the natural world and the human civilization.

In 2018, the grand opening of "Yukihisa Isobe Memorial Echigo-Tsumari Kiyotsu Soko Museum of Art" featured the artist's works over the years, including not only his ecological arts but also his oil paintings, Wappen Series, and the plans of parachute project. Since his exceptional and outbreaking turning points, many audiences were astonished by his dynamic career paths. Yukihisa Isobe was born in 1935 Tokyo and later got accepted into Tokyo University of the Arts; therefore, he learned oil paintings under Ryohei Koiso and joined the Demokrato Artists Association [1] which is founded by Ei-Q, a mixed media artist. Then subsequently, Isobe participated in several times of the "Yomiuri Independent [2]," which was an exhibition attracted to many Avant-Garde artists. He also set out an atelier in Aoyama and tried to make a lithograph there. Influenced by the European arts and his peers, Ei-Q, his oil painting style gradually became abstract and led to getting a rejection of his graduation project from the school committee, resulting in his delayed completion of degree works.

His representative works from 1961 to 1965 were made mostly from stone dust and decorated with repetitive Wappen elements. Having the opportunity to create a gigantic public works result from his unique Wappen characteristic which is easily associated with the style prevalent in the 50s, Ivy Style, repetitive of common literal symbols, fresco textures, and embossment structures. All these combinations echoed each other and successfully caught people's eyes worldwide.
Later, he created a giant wooden box which was functioned like a surprise box. He filled up spaces with daily collections of business logos, cards, prints, and wappens which were mass-produced from the modernization. The front of the box was inspired by Sotatsu Tawaraya's [3] "Wind God and Thunder God" and Modern Japanese Artists. There are two different time zones crossing and responding to each other: the modernization period and the modern time of Japan. Since both of them could not be seen through on one surface, it triggers audiences' curiosities and the desire to open and interact with the box. Even from nowadays, 2020, we still could peak the society back then through Yukihisa Isobe's works.

Yukihisa Isobe moved to the United States for almost eight years, after his 1965 solo exhibition in Europe, and has a great impact on the rest of his career in art. For First Earth Day, he used air circulation concept and parachutes to make a "floating sculpture", which opened a door for him to learn ecology. He later studied a master's degree in Ecology from the University of Pennsylvania. Shifting his focus to the ecology, he intended to raise people's awareness of environmental changes and visualize the issues. He returned to Japan in 1974, and still keep exhibiting his ecological arts while entrusted by the Japanese government to investigate the environment and teaches at the Tokyo Institute of Technology at the same time.

Whitestone Gallery Taipei is honored to hold Yukihisa Isobe's first solo exhibition, a retrospective, in Taiwan. It will feature almost forty artworks from the 1950s to 1960s, including oil paintings with his graduation project, Wappen Series, as well as a wooden box work. Artworks from his other stages are exhibited by showing early and recent photos and videos provided by the artist.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu; Aomori Museum of Art; Takamatsu City Museum of Art; Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art; Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art; Mie Prefectural Art Museum; Ohara Museum of Art; Sezon Museum of Modern Art; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, etc.

1. The Demokrato Artists Association founded by Ei-Q, as a leader, with Shigeru Izumi, Yoshio Hayakawa in 1951 and disbanded in 1957. The association rejected the authoritarianism of art and advocated the spirit of an independent. The association opened to art critics, designers and was not limited to artists. Sadashiro Kubo, Masuo Ikeda, Ay-O, and Yukihisa Isobe later entered the association.
2. Yomiuri Independent was hosted by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum from 1949 to 1963 with a review free format, which provided opportunities for avant-garde artists to present their works.
3. Sotatsu Tawaraya was active in the seventeenth century and was one of the most influenced artists, an iconic Rinpa School artist. His "Wind God and Thunder God" is chosen as a Japan national treasure.

Title｜Yukihisa ISOBE: A Retrospective 1950s - 1960s
Dates｜August 1 - September 20, 2020 (Closed on Mon.)
Opening｜August 1 (Sat.)
Venue｜Whitestone Gallery Taipei, 1F, No.1, Jihu Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City, 114, Taiwan