The three colors purple, green and orange, after which the exhibition is named, are compounds made from the primary colors red, yellow and blue.
The naked relations series, with pigments applied directly to a transparent acrylic board, asks the viewer to confront the process by which compound colors are generated from primary colors, react to and resonate over and over, eventually coming together to form a single cohesive canvas. The successive layers of actual paint are the very idea of successive layers of time spent applying the paint.
The texture of the wall behind the artwork can be seen through the artwork itself, and forms an integral part of the overall experience of engaging with the work. It also has the effect of reducing the imaginary three-dimensional space in the work to the material presence of the paint layers. The harmony and discordance created by layers of color seesawing between material and nonmaterial celebrates both freshness and tension, like an illusion where art is increasingly portrayed as an event in and of itself.
Akiyoshi’s first exhibition at TARO NASU in three years features a new painting in the naked relations series that he has been contributing to at irregular intervals since 2013. The painting is accompanied by a three-dimensional collection of paint tubes literally distilled from the concept of painting, inviting the viewer to consider the core concept of creating a painted artwork and the processes involved.