Teppei Takeda – Flowers

Maho Kubota Gallery presents “Flowers”, a solo exhibition of new works by Teppei Takeda. Takeda’s monograph “Flowers”, designed by Naoto Fukasawa, is being published by United Vagabonds in conjunction with this exhibition.

Born in 1978 in Yamagata Prefecture, Teppei Takeda aspired to becoming an artist from a young age, and deepened his knowledge and studies of art in general in order to pursue a form of artistic expression that was one of a kind. After graduating from art university in Tokyo and working a regular job, Takeda returned to his home prefecture of Yamagata. Thereafter, he spent a decade devoting himself to a search for the essence of painting, without presenting any of his art to the public. The concept he arrived at after his long, lonely quest, that of “painting paintings,” while still being in the medium of painting that Takeda had remained focused on all along, attempted to explore the essence of painting by rocking its foundations. By developing this original technique, which, despite being a simple approach, suggested the possibility of transcending the limitations of existing painterly expression, Takeda had begun his journey, not as a painter who simply depicted subjects in paintings, but as a conceptual artist who was addressing the roots of the medium of painting.

Ten works created based on the practice of “painting paintings” were presented in public for the first time at Takeda’s first solo exhibition held at a multi-purpose space in Yamagata in 2016. The mysterious attraction of this group of works, which appear to be abstract paintings of human portraits on a perfectly white background, had a major impact on viewers, and consequently led to “Paintings of Painting”, the artist’s first monograph, which was published by United Vagabonds in 2019, as well as a solo exhibition that was held at our gallery around the same time.

Takeda’s “portraits” are so captivating because the paintings awaken multiple senses in the viewer along the temporal axis in the process of viewing. Seen from a distance, the viewer senses the art’s intense presence and perhaps feels a little awed by the amplified paint and the feeling of vitality of the elegant lines. However, seen up close, the viewer is overwhelmed by the brilliance of the individual grains that can be seen in the minute, realistic rendering. Takeda’s method of creating art is consistent. He adopts a process in which he first paints many original pieces, from which he selects one that he recreates on a large support. Rather than reproducing the painting as is, he renders the path of brush movements and textures the painting had at one point in time. His art is the true embodiment of the concept of “painting paintings.” Takeda describes it the following way. “I am not painting based on fantasies. My subjects are paintings that exist in reality, and I paint them because I find them to be beautiful. I create this reality first, and then render it as the painting you see.”*1

As expressed by the exhibition title, the works in this show are a series of paintings that have the appearance of flowers. As with the artist’s works depicting what appear to be abstract renderings of human portraits, the essence of what Takeda paints, rather than being a fixed subject, is the act of painting, capturing through his gesture the momentary aura emitted by the painting being painted. Takeda writes the following.

“I could not find anything else worth painting. By using this method, I can depict things that contemporary art has abandoned in the past, appreciate their beauty, and preserve them in my work.”*2

Unless paintings subvert the very nature of painting, they are no longer recognized as art. Takeda’s practice presents a bold answer to the proposition presented by contemporary art, an answer revolutionary enough to bring the art historical conflict to a conclusion, overthrowing conventional thought on painting. Despite their radical nature, his paintings enchant with refinement and elegance that leave the viewer temporarily oblivious to any traces of the innovation that led to such a result.

*1 and *2 are excerpts from the text “Anti-paintings for anti-painting” by Teppei Takeda in his monograph “Flowers”.

Gallery hours Tue-Sat 12:00 – 19:00
closed Sun, Mon and National Holidays

Exhibition Duration 15.11. – 26.12.2024

www.mahokubota.com

Location:
Maho Kubota Gallery
2-4-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku
150-0001 Tokyo
Japan