Living creatures have always produced a number of variations that humans could never conceive of, and have continued to live on and on. As the environment constantly changes, it is not always clear what the answer is. Rather than a straight path towards the correctness, we have been in a situation whether it is failure or waste, shortcut or diversion, and while creating different species, we have connected lives as a whole. Such a way of life is the cornerstone of my works development.
- Yoshimasa Tsuchiya

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We are pleased to present Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s solo exhibition "Phylogenesis" at MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY. Tsuchiya was born in 1977 and specialised in sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed PhD, Sculpture Conservation in 2007. He was exposed to numerous old works there, and learnt that they had been created with remarkable boldness and novelty in each era. Based on this experience, he has challenged himself with traditional techniques and innovative expression. In recent years, exhibitions have been held at Kumanokodo Nakahechi Museum of Art (Wakayama, Japan) and Yokosuka Museum of Art (Kanagawa, Japan) with increasing popularity and reputation.

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Tsuchiya has established a unique painting method, in which light colours appear faintly inside from the white surface of wood carving. He also uses a technique used in Buddhist statues, whereby the head is split open and stone or glass eyes are inserted, to create works with a mysterious look. The glass eye is produced by artist Fukuo Tanaka. At first glance, the works are instantly recognisable as Tsuchiya's, and can be described as "modern classics" with timeless originality and the power to appeal to both the present and the future.

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Tsuchiya's motifs are animals as symbols, which embody intangible ideas in the shape of living creatures. The images of animals that appear in myths and tales are the origin of his ideas, and the creatures born from them have repeatedly mutated and cross-bred, taking the inspiration from improved garden plants and ornamental fish, and have developed into a variety of forms.　

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In this exhibition, the wood carving of "Archaeopteryx", which symbolises change, evolution and the yearning for flight, will be on display. The graceful and refined shapes, which Tsuchiya have cultivated over the years, are also utilised in the new resin sculptures. As reproduction art, Tsuchiya has been experimenting with techniques and materials that can be done within his own studio, rather than outsourcing. He has arrived at a method that the original wood carving is moulded directly or indirectly with silicone, replicated in resin and hand-painted. Tsuchiya has restrained the use of colour in his wood carvings in order to highlight the texture, meanwhile the resin works are made of a white, uniform base, which allows for good colouration and the feeling of painting on a three-dimensional canvas. We hope you look forward to the new works, in which the artist has aimed at breaking away from his own framework.

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From November 18, the first day of the exhibition, the second collection book "Phylogenesis" will be on sale here at the gallery. It contains recent works after his first collection in 2012, as well as images and episodes from the works.

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Fukuo Tanaka’s solo exhibition "Conveyance to Branches" will also be held here at the same dates.