Since 2008, Yokohama-based non-profit arts organisation BankART1929 has featured young artists through its ‘Under 35’ series of solo exhibitions. The 2024 edition will present six emerging artists across three exhibition periods (June 28-September 23).
Part 1 introduces the works of Masatoshi Noguchi and Yi Yajing. Working with materials such as cleaning supplies, plants, and food, Noguchi focuses on the sustainability and adaptability of unseen subjects, revealing an uncanny and humorous view of human and earthly fatigue. He will present work associated with nature's cyclical transitions as 'a season’. ‘Yi’s works have evolved around the theme of ‘inner landscapes’. She reconstructs ‘nature’ by capturing the subtle traces of the ‘natural’ while balancing the 'artificial' and 'natural' use through transparent tape, woven bags, and resin.
Part 2 brings the performative installation works of Takafumi Sakanaka and Koujirou Yamamoto. Sakanaka experiments with the liminal spaces of cities and buildings, from the underdrains and attics to the ancient tombs and vacant lots, drawing on his playful actions and body as a guide. Yamamoto, meanwhile, engages in physical performance, including work that encases his hair in a concrete block and an uninterrupted walk-and-talk performance lasting an entire day.
Part 3 features the contemporary craft of Ryo Azuma, who transforms found street debris like copper plates, tin, and bits of tin and rusted iron into dramatic metalwork with organic character; and the meta-paintings of Toko Izumi, who contemplates how to sustain the painting practice of the ‘singular scene’ and the consequences and well-being of the paintings themselves.