Self-Anatomy
The exhibition traces the path of sculptor Masaru Bando through a diverse range of works, including anatomical drawings that recapture the relationship between space and object by applying colours to his figure drawings, as well as bronze and other small pieces.
MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY is pleased to present Masaru Bando’s solo exhibition “Self-Anatomy”. Bando was born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1952, and studied at Tokyo Zokei University before going to Italy. He then spent two years from 1974 at the Accademia Emilio Greco in Rome, studying under a local sculptor. He has been an artist based in Rome, New York City and Otofuke, Hokkaido, and plenty of his works have been exhibited in museums and public facilities for half a century.
Bando’s works move freely between two-dimensional and three-dimensional, abstract and figurative, while consistently embodying the life force inherent in the objects. Bando makes an enormous amount of drawings of a single object, as seen in the dancing figures, and he captures the essence by accumulating repeated lines, which is sublimated into sculptures and paintings. The basis of Bando’s work is social events and his own concerns, and yet he is able to share the concepts with the viewer by his universal expressions. Bando dares not to rely on his experience: the expressions and colours that suit him. Instead, he sees the ever-changing world as a model for his work, for example going outside every morning for decades to paint the contours of nature as it reveals itself at dawn. Bando says of the landscape of Otofuke: “Various questions arise, such as what is going on to those branches. I paint to observe what happens next. I put down the brush when my point of view goes to the riverside and I see the depth. Looking at the horizon, I get a completely different impression depending on the season and the day. I paint to gauge myself on any given day.”
The exhibition will feature a diverse range of Bando’s works, including anatomical drawings that recapture the relationship between space and object by applying colours to his past figure drawings, as well as bronze and other small pieces. Visitors to the exhibition can trace the path of the sculptor who approaches the truth of the universe through the accumulation of fragments, and feel uplifted at the scene of his creation.
Dates
November 26-December 14, 2024
Noon-6pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday
Opening Reception
November 26, 5-7pm
*Artist will be in attendance.
Self-Anatomy
2020-2024
39.5 x 27 cm
Watercolor, sumi ink, white sumi ink, pigment on paper
Self-Anatomy
2000
112 x 76 cm
Graphite, sumi ink on paper
