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"I want to show the twinkle of the
spirit and the body in my paintings."
(Hiroyuki Kimura)
The artist Hiroyuki Kimura was born in 1975 in Tokyo.
He lives and works in the capital and has just had an exhibition of
his work in Germany for the first time.
The theme of his art is the traditional Japanese wrestling - Sumo.
Hiroyuki Kimura is fascinated by sumo and his art represents the
sport for us in all its facets. He studied Japanese art at the
Tamara Art University and has been painting for 6 years now.
The development of Japanese art has not been influenced by European
art and covers a wide range of art styles and media. One artist who
has had an influence on Hiroyuki Kimura is Hokusei (1760-1849), a
master of the colour woodcut. He created many works of art, among
them representations of famous sumo wrestlers of his time. He shows
many of the different techniques used by sumo wrestlers during a
bout. The huge bodies are often exaggerated and the proportions are
not always anatomically correct. People of his time liked the colour
woodcuts, which they were able to afford and could use as posters of
their favourite wrestlers.
The wrestlers in Hokusei's work often move in an undefined space.
They seem to levitate, they don't touch the ground and they don't
cast a shadow. This is a phenomenon we can also see in the art of
Hiroyuki Kimura.
Kimura-san visits the wrestlers during morning training in their
heya and he makes quite a few quick sketches. Back in his studio he
finishes them or uses them as models for bigger paintings.
Many of his drawings he does ringside and works on them in many
stages of painting and using many different techniques until he
achieves the desired result. Most of his work is drawn on paper
first and finished with Indian ink, crayon and with pigments
dissolved in oil. It's a very fine glazed technique. The colour of
the skin shines in a light pink and shows an attractive contrast to
the (literally) charcoal-black hair. The athletes appear like
dancers, figures in levitation. They get a certain lightness from
the use of the chosen colours.
The paintings show the sumo bouts with the techniques and ritualized
gestures of the bulky sumo wrestlers who turn their full attention
and concentration on the fight, and take no notice of the portraits.
Kimura-san wants to make paintings which show the eternal nature of
the dohyo - a ring to us. He says, "Every day hundreds of sumo bouts
take place. No bout resembles the other. The dohyo is a small,
limited space, but there are endless bouts on it. It's interesting
to watch each bout carefully. You can feel the emotions and the life
in it. Although sumo rules are easy I feel the infinity of the dohyo.
It's the same with art which represents infinite imagination on
limited canvas.
I want to show the twinkle of the spirit and the body in my
paintings." (Hiroyuki Kimura)
1975 - Born in Tokyo
2001 - Win of the 12th Japanese Garyuzakura art prize
2002 - Win of the 13th Japanese Garyuzakura art prize
2003 - Tama Art University; Exhibition Art Galerie Kan
2004 - New wind of Yamanaka lake exhibition
2005 - Hope exhibition, Art space Rashinban Piezograph print
exhibition, Art space Rashinba exhibition, Art space Rashinban
Active Arts Piezograph Print exhibition
2006 - Let´s paint Hana, Galerie Kyubi Active Arts Piezograph
Print exhibition, Art space Rashinban
2007 - Hope exhibition, Art space Rashinban exhibition, Toki Art
space
2008 - Solo exhibition (Gallery Jin)
2009 - Galerie Hexagone, Aachen |
SumoWebpaper
Impressum