Sokyo Annex (Kawaramachi Nijo) is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Kazuma Koike. Press preview will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Koike is a painter and sculptor currently based in Osaka. Although Koike is known for his black ceramic sculptures made with motifs of idols from various regions, prior to 2018, he mainly exhibited paintings and drawings. This exhibition, titled "Paintings and Sculptures," will feature eight black ceramic sculptures and seven new paintings.
In recent years, Koike has held two-person exhibitions with internationally renowned painters such as Djordje Ozbolt (2023) and Jordy Kerwick (2024) at AISHONANZUKA in Hong Kong, and Henrik Godsk (2023) at HAGD Contemporary in Denmark. He has been able to combine their unique paintings with his own ceramic sculptures to recreate spaces, which had become an important opportunity for Koike to direct his attention towards painting.
This exhibition will show Koike’s new painting series “Garden”, which he began in 2024, for the first time. Koike's maternal family has been in the landscaping business for generations. This has given Koike a strong interest in gardens as well as involving in the landscaping business himself. The artist has said that he has long wanted to create "paintings with gardens as a motif”.
In this exhibition, Koike aims to create a space more conscious of the relationship between painting and sculpture than ever before. We hope you will take this rare opportunity to see his work in his first solo exhibition at Sokyo Annex.
Kazuma Koike
Born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1980. Currently lives and works in Osaka. Spent his childhood in Buenos Aires and high school years in Barcelona. Graduated in 2004 with B.F.A. in Sculpture, Nihon University College of Art. Major solo shows include “Prayer”, cadet capela, Paris (2023); Omuro Museum, Mie, Japan. Major two-person exhibitions include “In the Year of the Dragon” with Jordy Kerwick, AISHONANZUKA, Hong Kong (2024); “Djordje Ozbolt and Kazuma Koike”, AISHONANZUKA, Hong Kong (2023); “Stille” with Henrik Godsk, HAGD Contemporary (2023); “Koishi-kei” with Toru Ishii, Sokyo, Kyoto, Japan (2022).
