The GIFT: A Conversation with Yuichi Hirako
March 15, 2021 | in Painting
Following his recent solo show in Hong Kong and a number of group show participations worldwide, Yuichi Hirako is currently having a debut solo presentation with KOTARO NUKAGA in Tokyo. With over 40 new works in the show,
GIFT is a providing a great overview of the artist s exceptionally diverse and prolific practice which includes drawing, sculpture, installation, sound performance, and more.
Dominated by the mystical half-human, half-tree character, the works are speaking of the relationship between humans and nature, with a strong accent on our connection with plants and flora. Using the greenery as a symbol for the wild nature which we depend on, the artist is often recreating the lushness of the outdoor setting in his saturated compact interiors. Using books, pots, plants, musical instruments to create a vibrant setting, he is able to make a poetic connection between the untamed wilderness and well-
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Yuichi Hirako is an emerging Japanese from Okayama, Japan who is best known for creating mixed-media works, painting, sculpture, and sound performances that spotlight various plants and human figurations. Hirako recently kicked off a solo exhibition in Hong Kong’s fledgling WAREHOUSE Gallery called “Growth Rings.”
For the presentation, Hirako developed a series of new oil pastel drawings that explore the coexistence between humans and nature. “I have been working on the theme of questioning the ambiguous relationship between plants and the coexistence of humans and nature,” said the artist in a statement. “We coexist with many plants in our lives. It is a well-known fact that the presence of a lot of ‘nature’ such as houseplants, street trees, parks, etc. has a positive psychological effect on humans, but to me, this situation seems a bit ridiculous. They are fragments or imitations of the original nature and not nature itself.”
Yuichi Hirako Fantastical Growth Rings Debuts in Hong Kong
December 30, 2020 | in Painting
Yuichi Hirako has known all along. If the pandemic has taught us anything, the natural world is our respite and rescue, the strong and safe place that nurtures and abides. Perfectly timed, the Warehouse Gallery opens 2021 by introducing his works for the first time in Hong Kong.
Growth Rings is a walk in a friendly forest filled with flourishing vines that slip through open windows, revealing creatures in easy camaraderie. A pine tree protagonist is the frequent guide through this visual circle of life.
Born in rural Japan, Hirako studied abroad, earning his BFA in painting from the Wimbledon College of Art in the UK and unsurprisingly, embraced multiple disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and sound performance, It’s clear that he finds a kinship with “all things great and small” as he continues to explore and exult in the crucial connection betwe