GALLERY KOGURE is pleased to present “The Behavior of Lines”, a solo exhibition by Wataru Ito, at Kanazawa Mercury Cave.

Wataru Ito creates works using paper, a material familiar to everyone. Without relying on special tools, he cuts and folds pure white paper, crafting pieces that seem to grow and proliferate like cells. The geometric forms, while also organic in nature, and the beautiful shadows they cast are made visible precisely because of the simplicity of the white paper. Through his stoic and delicate craftsmanship, his works convey a sense of infinite possibilities within what might seem like “just white paper.”

This exhibition, which marks Ito’s first solo show at Kanazawa Mercury Cave, presents works that reveal a variety of expressions through their pure and serene forms. We invite you to experience them firsthand. (GALLERY KOGURE)

The stories evoked by gears are countless. The immense power and rotational motion generated by the combination of large and small gears convey speed, and their roles are of immeasurable importance. However, in recent electronic devices, the mechanisms that drive the movement of objects have become increasingly difficult to discern, as miniaturization pushes for extreme thinness and compactness. When looking at mobile phones or computers, one might wonder: How exactly do these devices work? Why do they move in this way?

Why do we instinctively seek analog structures in mechanisms that convey motion? Perhaps it’s because, beyond their functional role, we sense something resembling the growth of plants, or the strength found in natural phenomena like water, wind, or layers of the earth. There is a sense of vitality and force that resonates with us.

Titled “The Behavior of Lines”, this exhibition explores these ideas through an installation that involves several meters of thin lines repeatedly intertwined with gears. The focus remains on the natural behavior driven by gravity and tension. It is our hope that you enjoy these works, which incorporate a fragment of the dynamism that nature itself creates. (Wataru Ito)

Wataru Ito (Instagram)
Born in 1983, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
2011 Graduated from the Department of Crafts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Lacquer Art
■Solo Exhibitions
2021 “Rhythm of Gears”, Lighthouse Gallery (Tokyo)
2019 “Camouflage”, ex-chamber museum (Tokyo)
2018 “Segments”, ex-chamber museum (Tokyo)
2017 “Paradox 10×10 Centimeter Squares”, ex-chamber museum (Tokyo)
2016 “Paradox Angle: 5°”, Radium-Röntgen-Werke (Tokyo)
2014 “Emerging Margins”, Gallery Gigi (Enoshima)
2012 “Wataru Ito ~ Paper, Kami, and God ~”, Andersen Park Children’s Museum of Art (Funabashi)
2011 “Vegetables with Feelings”, Gallery Motomachi (Yokohama)
         “Airport of the Imagination”, Gallery 58 (Tokyo)
2010 “Paper Sculpture”, Gallery Motomachi (Yokohama)
■Group Exhibitions
2023 “Cross” Wataru Ito / Makoto Nakada, Gallery Kogure (Tokyo)
2022 “The Paper Slits”, Wataru Ito / Kei Sumi, s＋arts (Tokyo)
2019 “Mechanical Sensations”, A/D Gallery, Roppongi Hills (Tokyo)
2017 “The Doraemon Exhibition TOKYO 2017”, Mori Arts Center Gallery (Tokyo)
2016 “Contemporary Cityscapes”, A/D Gallery, Roppongi Hills (Tokyo)
          “Half Four, Half”, Spiral Garden (Tokyo)
2015 “Quest – selected by Masaharu Makuuchi / ex-chamber museum”, A/D Gallery, Roppongi Hills (Tokyo)
2014 “Hōbyō ~ Skillful Art No. 5”, Spiral Garden (Tokyo)
2013 “w. Wataru Ito, Tetsuya Ono”, A/D Gallery, Roppongi Hills (Tokyo)
         “Tōkai ~ Skillful Art No. 4”, Spiral Garden (Tokyo)
2012 “Waku ~ Skillful Art No. 3”, Spiral Garden (Tokyo)
2011 “Tekiré ~ Skillful Art No. 2”, Spiral Garden (Tokyo)
■Awards
Hirayama Ikuo Prize, Japan Paint Prize, Mitsubishi Estate Prize
■Collections
Andersen Park Children’s Museum of Art (Funabashi), Bunkyo Shutter Company