Toshiki Hayasaka, a Modern-day Samurai Battling with a Brush

Toshiki Hayasaka, Bushido No.1, 2022. Courtesy the artist

By PAUL LASTER, December 2022

“As a samurai, I must strengthen my character; as a human being I must perfect my spirit.” ― Yamaoka Tesshu

A modern-day samurai wielding a brush rather than a sword, Toshiki Hayasaka strengthens his character through painting. The self-taught Japanese artist’s samurai spirit was forged a decade ago through his work as a volunteer firefighter performing search and rescue in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Like Yamaoka Tesshu, a 19th-century samurai who founded a school of swordsmanship based on the unity of the soul and the blade, Hayasaka created his own way of painting, inspired by the words of an elderly woman who thanked him for rescuing people in Tōhoku and based on the unity of his heart and the materials employed for the creation of his art.

Recently in New York for the solo show “Sword Strokes,” curated by Kyoko Sato, Hayasaka presented his Kotodama and Bushido series of similarly sized circular canvases, along with a collaborative live-painting performance with the Austrian-American artist Rainer Ganahl, at Time Gallery from November 23rd though the 28th.

Related information：https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/day-samurai-battling-with-brush/5626?fbclid=IwAR0n1fBZhi5WP3zVnsOWBjHt6_GpTfehWecfHOM6OJwos1Dcor8Y8tKBqD8/

The ‘2024 Int’l Venice Art Exhibition’ to be held at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello

This exhibition emphasizes the concept of ‘crossover’

By UN Journal Kayla Lee

The ‘2024 Int’l Venice Art Exhibition’ will be held at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, a 17th-century Renaissance imperial palace and a famous historical landmark in central Venice, on July 27~Aug. 19.

The theme of this exhibition emphasizes the concept of ‘crossover’, that is, beyond the constraints of concepts, regions, eras and creative media, bringing new thoughts and perspectives to humanity.

The outstanding artists participating in the exhibition come from all over the world. Overcoming barriers of region, language, and age, we meet in Venice and share the spark of creativity through the creation of art.

This curation style will boldly attempt a variety of exhibitions and fuse various forms of art such as two-dimensional painting, three-dimensional device art, experimental costumes, digital art, and AI technology film to create a strange experience that will make the audience feel like they are in Venetian Godot.

Just as the ‘water’ element in Venice has the power of penetration and time travel, the romantic energy of art also flows throughout the city, providing infinite feelings and experiences to the audience.

Participating in this exhibition are Park Deuk-soon and Han Kyung-su, the only Korean artists who work across a variety of genres both at home and abroad.

2024 Int’l Venice Art Exhibition
Date：July 27 ~ Aug. 19 2024
Time：09.30 AM – 05.30 PM
Location：Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
　　　　 Cannaregio 4118, 30121 Venezia, Italy
Location of the exhibition space: Fondamenta Sant’Andrea, near the Ca’ d’Oro and the Scuola della Misericordia. Private garden.
https://www.labiennale.org/en/noticeboard/510

Related information：https://unjournal.kr/mobile/article.html?no=23069

Interview with Toshiki Hayasaka

By Jake Price, December 5, 2023

Born in 1990 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Toshiki Hayasaka is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist based in Tokyo. Through his art and way of life, Hayasaka is dedicated to living life in the present. These moments of living in the present ultimately weave together to form the fabric of a lifetime. Appreciating the richness of life by fully engaging with every seemingly fleeting moment, Hayasaka recently exhibited his “Ephemeral Samurai” at New York’s Tenri Cultural Institute, curated by Japan Contemporaries Editor in Chief, Kyoko Sato. The opening performance was accompanied by the violinist Tom Chiu who hauntingly accompanied Hayasaka as he created a scroll of his Ensō (円 相) poetry at the exhibit. (Please see glossary at the end this article for terms used.) Chiu’s accompaniment was noted not only for his masterful playing but also his use of silence.


Yohei Fujimura for Japan Contemporaries

Related information：https://japancontemporaries.com/jc-presents/toshiki-hayasaka/

New York Debut Solo Exhibition: “Bushi no Hitotachi”

Tokyo based artist Toshiki Hayasak holds his first solo exhibition in New York. The viewing of “Bushi no Hitotachi” will be from November 23 – 28 (Wed-Mon) at a gallery in the East Village. It will feature new works created specially created for this event.

Centered on his philosophy to “Live the Now,” Hayasaka’s new Bushido series encapsulates this message: ‘We must recognize that we have to live in and seize each moment, and accumulating individual moments creates a life.” All the pieces in the exhibition are painted on circular canvases.

During the exhibition, Hayasaka will also do a live art performance at the gallery.

 

Exhibition Period: Wed, November 23 – Mon, November 28
Opening Reception: Wednesday, November 23, 4:00–7:00 PM
Venue: Time Gallery (178 Bleecker St., 2nd Floor)
newyork@timeartsus.com
www.timeartsus.com

Url：https://www.yomitime.com/event_111122/0803.html