Tomio Koyama Gallery Tennoz is pleased to present the exhibition “Diagonal Waves” by Tyler Vlahovich, an artist of Chris Sharp Gallery, from September 10. This will be the artist’s first solo show in Japan, and is held as part of the “Onsen Confidential” project.
【About Tyler Vlahovich and his works】
Tyler Vlahovich was born in 1967 in Tacoma, Washington, and lives and works in Los Angeles. He has held exhibitions in numerous cities such as Los Angeles, Mexico City, Berlin, and Brussels.
Vlahovich produces abstract paintings on a variety of supports, ranging from canvas to irregularly shaped pieces of wood as well as found cardboard and paper. As a long-time dabbler in electronic music, he approaches picture making the way an improviser builds on a given motif, allowing it to flow and mutate as he elaborates and fixes it into form.
Vlahovich’s paintings are characterized by broad yellow circles and polygonal browns, greens, whites, oranges, and blues, all of which ambiguously fix and float in space.
For him, the application of paint is a means of conveying a particular atmosphere and mood, while the spatial composition of the paintings hint and shift context. This exhibition features two series of works, which the artist tentatively refers to as “Bag” and “Wave.”
The “Bag” series is a simple cartoon-like depiction of space, associated with the kind of paper bags that are used in grocery stores.
The “Wave” series depicts space as composed of a sequence of events, which the artist renders as a temporal wave transmission.
The surface of the works are at times unceremoniously scrubbed and jabbed to create a pleasingly, somewhat brutal, sensuous texture. The resulting abstraction is fluid, mutable, and harbors a subtle air of surprise.
The artist himself comments on exhibiting in Japan:
Exhibiting my work in Japan dares my imagination. I’ve been a fan of Japanese art and aesthetics from afar for so long that I can’t even imagine my own work in it, even if just a little. -Tyler Vlahovich
Vlahovich’s works permeate with a sense of freedom and idiosyncrasy that is underpinned by his lifetime of practice and thought. We hope viewers will take this opportunity to bear witness to the artist’s captivating and unparalleled world of expression.
https://www.chrissharpgallery.com/tylervlahovich_a
【About Onsen Confidential】
Onsen Confidential is a hybrid citywide gallery share and natural hot spring retreat / conference.
The project is meant to bring together like-minded gallerists in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation and to provide a friendly introduction to the unique context of the contemporary art world of Tokyo.
Onsen Confidential was inspired by precedents such as the Milwaukee International, Paramount Ranch, Condo, OKEY DOKEY, Friend of a Friend, the Villa Projects (Villa Warsaw, Villa Reykjavik and Villa Toronto), non-profit initiatives such as NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) and Paris Internationale and gallery organizations such as CADAN (Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon) and the ICA (International Galleries Alliance).
Initiated by Jeffrey and Misako Rosen, COBRA
Special support by Ruth Foundation for the Arts (Milwaukee, USA), Ken Kagami, Café Sunday, uruotte, Utrecht
Special thanks: Hitokaro Kanehira
Travel agnate: JTB
Media sponsor: Contemporary Art Library
Accommodation: Hatopia Atami
Please see herefor further details on Onsen Confidential.
—————————————————————————————–
For press inquiries, please contact: press@tomiokoyamagallery.com (Makiko Okado)
—————————————————————————————–
