ENG|JPN
WORD PAINTING
I look at surrounding
White scenery for a while
Feel like having watched the sky in olden days
Words and the scene crumble from my fading awareness as time goes by
My heart shivers with the cold
Outline of warmth impresses deeply in my mind
I am only just able to breathe
The thing which keeps the existence is in this world such as a daydream
Moment and form are drawn dearly like spinning yarn
I will be here even if I will come to nought in due time
Standing amid the distant recollections with slightly warmth in my bosom
I wonder if you will hear the lasting songs
PROFILE
Chizuru Masumura
Born 1972 in Yamaguchi, Japan
1993 Graduated from Hijiyama Women's Junior College, Hiroshima
Lives and works in Osaka
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2014
- Gallery Suchi / Tokyo
- 2011
- neutron tokyo / Tokyo
- 2010
- neutron kyoto / Kyoto
- 2009
- neutron tokyo / Tokyo
- 2009
- Art Center Painting Competition Winner’s exhibition / Hyogo
- 2008
- neutron kyoto / Kyoto
- 2007
- gallery CLASS / Nara
- 2006
- galeria CERO / Osaka
- 2005
- Belgium Flanders Center/ Osaka
- 2005
- Pantaloon / Osaka
- 2004
- Art Garden / Okayama
- 2004
- Guild Gallery / Osaka
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2014
- ASIAN REALISM Ⅱ / Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery,AKI Gallery / Tokyo,Taipei
- 2014
- Kanji Maeda Grand Prize / Takashimaya,Kurayoshi Museum / Tokyo,Tottori
- 2014
- Mr.M Collection Exhibition / Gallery Suchi / Tokyo
- 2013
- 3331 ART COLLECTOR FAIR / 3331 Arts Chiyoda / Tokyo
- 2012
- When Poetry Meets Art/ Gallery Emu / Tokyo
- 2012
- One Piece Exhibition / Tezukayama Gallery,Megumi Ogita Gallery / Osaka,Tokyo
- 2011
- The World of the Future / neutron tokyo / Tokyo
- 2010
- Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition / Bumi Art Hall / Busan
- 2010
- GALA CONTEMPORARY ART/ Artpro GALA / Fukuoka
- 2009
- Wishing Stars / neutron tokyo / Tokyo
- 2009
- Outstanding Rising Artists Exhibition / Sompo Japan Museum / Tokyo
- 2008
- Art Center Painting Competition / Japan Art Center / Tokyo,Kobe,Fukuoka
- 2007
- Gallerism / Osaka Contemporary Art Center / Osaka
Art Fair
- 2014
- Art Fair Tokyo / Tokyo International Forum / Tokyo
- 2013
- Art Taipei / Taipei World Trade Center / Taipei
- 2013
- Art Osaka / Hotel Granvia Osaka / Osaka
- 2013
- Asia Hotel Art Fair Hong Kong / Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong / Hong Kong
- 2012
- Art Fair Tokyo / Tokyo International Forum / Tokyo
- 2011
- Young Art Taipei / Sunworld Dynasty Hotel Taipei / Taipei
- 2009
- EMERGING DIRECTORS' ART FAIR "ULTRA002" / Spiral / Tokyo
Awards
- 2011
- Young Art Award / Taipei / Finalist Top5
- 2008
- Art Center Painting Competition / Jury Prize
- 2006
- Fukui Thumbhole Art Exhibition / Encouragement Prize
- 2005
- Fukui Thumbhole Art Exhibition / Fine Work Prize
- 1999
- Concours Drawing Dessin Gravure of Japanese Artists / Paris / a Prize
CONTRIBUTION
Masumura Chizuru cites a fondness for ancient Western painting. This influence is apparent in her motifs, but the fact that Masumura has an interest in the medieval techniques and materials that shaped oil painting is also evident in her method of depiction. Her method of creating depth by applying successive layers of paint calls for a long-sustained tension that impedes prolific output.
Masumura’s depictions of a part of her own body or a segment of a plant present us with a scene that is distant from everyday life. Her detailed approach and lustrous picture plane seem to release a quiet but audible sigh. Masumura’s paintings are also imbued with an indifference that rejects our gaze. The overall paintings are so complete that there is no room for anyone else. They are so cool and sober that it is impossible to detect the slightest hint of kindness or warmth. But at the same time, this sense of rejection is also what makes Masumura’s paintings attractive.
This solo exhibition of the artist’s work, held at neutron kyoto in 2010, is titled Tenderness. As Masumura herself suggests (“Many of my recent works contain emotions”), these paintings display a different attitude from those we are used to seeing. In contrast to her work of the past, which seemed to push the viewer away, these new paintings not only depict the “tenderness” of the exhibition title but also a sense of “sensitivity” and “delicacy.” They seem to represent a gradual shift in Masumura’s own sensibility, and have emerged as a way of breathing life into her intimate feelings. As she continues to suppress the emotions that well up inside of her, Masumura enjoys depicting the instant of feeling. What do the resultant motifs convey or express? They tell us that a painting is a generative medium rather than a finished product.
Kawasaki Koichi | Independent Curator
(Formerly Chief Curator / Assistant Director, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)
This text was originally written for
Masumura Chizuru’s 2010 solo exhibition Tenderness at neutron kyoto