Introduction:
Sugito’s work always bridge the gap between abstract and concrete. For viewers, who are entwined into the motif of worlds, the sense of rhythm between colors and shapes evokes physical sensations ? inhaling and exhaling, humming a song, stepping, etc. For Sugito, who lived in New York from the time he was three until fourteen, the medium of Japanese Painting, with its delicate pigments and material, has become an indispensable part of his being.
His early motifs featured a tower with small flames, took a bird’s-eye view of the sea and a ship in flames, and small fighter planes floating in the sky; they existed as concrete objects, however, the planar surface also existed as whimsically expanding points and lines, color fields, and film. This time, the “curtain” motif has been used to as an important stage; it functions, however, as more than a performing stage, it assaults our physical perceptions and could be perceived as a gateway that will warp us to an unreal world. In the works “escape,” “vent,” “mirror”. we are shoved through an unseen exit to an area reflected in a giant mirror. We are surrounded by a vast pond-like area where various worlds, such as the human world, exist as mere specks, and viewers are integrated into an optical illusion. In another series, which features “hanger man” and “elephant, buckle,” Sugito depicts an elevated creature composed of lines and colored planes that lacks both expression and a story. It leads a silent and peaceful existence. In yet another “song” series, Sugito depicts a painting that expresses a close-up of sound. In “two tree songs,” the exhibit at Art Tower Mito, two trees are painted in various ways. On the left-hand side the tree is presented in contour lines stands in front of a hwall and the visible window; the vivid lines and feather-like motif, function as a background filled by the tree, a symbol of life. The other tree is densely populated with green leaves. The various green, orange, and pink lines resemble gentle ghosts. As they breathe together, these trees act in stereo. The semi-transparent curtain sits on the barrier between existence and non-existence.

Concept:
This exhibition, “Passage to the Sky,” continues with four new large paintings and six to eight small paintings from the series “two tree songs.” Sugito created the CD jacket artwork for the band Otonamode, who will perform live on the first day of the exhibition.