Izumi Kato

Fundación Casa Wabi presents Izumi Kato’s first exhibit in Latin America

Izumi Kato (1969, Shimane, Japan, lives and works Tokyo, Japan, and Hong Kong, China) uses classical painting and sculptural techniques to reflect physicality. His artistic practice expresses an unrefined yet direct and relatable reality in a world where virtual elements proliferate. Kato’s bold and forceful curves highlight the human form with organic lines, achieving distortion and simplification of the form. His pieces are a powerful presence that seems to illustrate the essence of the human body. Most of his recent works are untitled. He has no specific painting model nor does he compose or sketch. These paintings have no narrative element. They are dialogues, creations that emerge from a direct physical impulse with materials and the specific place where he makes them. The figures inside the canvases seem to be enlighten with an enigmatic aura, and undifferentiated bodies which capture light through colors and embroidery.

For this exhibition at Casa Wabi, Izumi Kato made most of the production in-situ. He explored new possibilities in form, materials and textures offered by Mexico. The result is a combination of new colors and compositions, never used by the artist before.

Curated by Paola Jasso and Alberto Rios de la Rosa

Images: Yusuke Sato