Salmon, Ginger, Banana? A Report on "Hasegawa Shigeru: Pain Tengu" at Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Exploring the Artist's Current Position
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art hosts the first large-scale museum solo exhibition of painter Shigeru Hasegawa, exploring his still-life motifs and artistic evolution.Summary
The Toyota Municipal Museum of Art is presenting "Hasegawa Shigeru: Pain Tengu," the first large-scale museum solo exhibition of painter Shigeru Hasegawa, running until January 24, 2027. Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1963, Hasegawa studied at the Aichi Prefectural University of Arts graduate school, then went to Germany in 1989 to study under Jan Dibbets at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. He moved to the Netherlands in 1992, completed a residency at De Ateliers in Amsterdam, and continued working there until 1996. His paintings repeatedly feature classic still-life motifs such as eggplants, cucumbers, bananas, and fish, while elements derived from Western painting, like drapery and chair legs, become components that build the picture surface as mere "forms" devoid of meaning. His attempt to constantly paint different pictures with limited elements eventually reached a dead end, leading him to suspend exhibitions in 2013. He continued producing work, however, and resumed exhibiting with a solo show in 2019, energetically presenting new works since. The exhibition interweaves old and new works to reveal the thoroughgoing will and light-footed development underlying his long career. It also highlights Hasegawa's gaze, honed through dedicated viewing of artworks from East and West, and his unique sensibility nurtured from childhood, including a room composed of the museum's collection and Hasegawa's own collected objects.
(Source：Tokyo Art Beat)