msb gallery is pleased to present “Outline of the Flame,” a solo exhibition by Taro Morimoto.
His paintings are created based on the data he has analyzed from images in his own way and colored with his unique techniques. As a result the images are simplified and expressed vaguely but clearly, as if one were looking at things underwater.
This exhibition will feature a series of works based on the theme of candle flames, transcending mere expressions of light and exploring what lies beyond the visible. Where will his flames that illuminates the darkness lead us?
We hope you enjoy the imagination that each of you discovers in his quiet lights.
Artist Statement
Candlelit flame
The reason I once again decided to take up the subject of candle flames this year was because not only had I seen a scene on the news of a small flame being lit for someone, but I had also actually lit a flame for my own family, and the image of a flame remained in my mind. I have created works using the motif of a candle flame before, and at that time I was inspired by the book "The Flame of a Candle" by the French philosopher of science and poet Gaston Bachelard.
His poetic imagery of a candle flame has given rise to a variety of interpretations, based on citations from various sources, such as comparing the small flame's light, which easily lights up and goes out, to human existence, or reading a positive will into the phenomenon of a flame that quickly bounces back up even when disturbed by the wind.
I’d like to explore and consider the power of imagination contained within such images by creating visual representations. Up until now, I have created paintings by making sketches based on familiar images, such as printed matter or photographs I’ve taken. However, this time, I’ve added a new dimension to my work by seeking inspiration from masterpieces as subjects to depict.
While creating a rough sketch in Photoshop, I looked back at snapshots of lit candles I had taken with my smartphone, as well as images I had worked on in the past but hadn’t turned into paintings. Suddenly, I was reminded of the candle and lamp flames painted by Georges de La Tour. These works, created around 400 years ago, continue to serve as light sources in his paintings, illuminating the people and objects in the room.
What would become visible if I were to take the flames I see now, and the flames once lit by artists, as images and paint them again? As I did before, I started by removing the concrete texture from the photographs and paintings, flattening the images, and re-capturing their contours and color planes to eliminate as much of my own subjectivity as possible. I explored the shapes and colors hidden there, and through my work I sought to see if I could present something different that had not been seen before.
What will the images brought about by the flame and appearing before our eyes illuminate in the future? I would like to gaze upon the flame flickering between the past and the present in the intimate space of the gallery.
Taro Morimoto
Taro Morimoto
1969 Born in Okayama, Japan
1994 Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Design
1995 Completed research student at Tokyo Zokei University
Solo Exhibitions
2022 L'étang de solitude, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2020 Neutral tones, void+, Tokyo
2019 Corresponding Interior, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2017 Sérénité, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2016 L'image est bonheur, switch point, Tokyo
2015 Vestiges, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2012 The Edge of Images -Somewhere Else, Existing Here, Store Front, Tokyo
2010 Medium, switch point, Tokyo
2009 In between, Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art, Okayama
2008 Flower & Hair, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2005 Painting / Embroidery, Space Kobo & Tomo, Tokyo
2005 Project N 23 Taro Morimoto, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo
2004 After Image, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2004 Tour de Fleurs -broderie- [Café art project vol.5], Mori Art Museum Staff Café, Tokyo
2004 Tour de Fleurs -broderie-, Restaurant Pietro, Tokyo ; Café du Sourire Shiki, Okayama
2003 Souvenir, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2002 Reminder, Space Kobo & Tomo, Tokyo
2001 Recollection, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
1999 Taro Morimoto -Artists for the Next decade 1999, Gallery Hinoki, Tokyo
1998 Taro Morimoto, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
Group Exhibitions
2021 12 Flowers, art space kimura ASK?, Tokyo
2021 Collection x Taro Morimoto, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2020 Place x Place, Gallery TAGA 2, Tokyo
2019 Nana Matsubara, Taro Morimoto, Books Sanseido in Seijo Corty, Tokyo
2016 "Footprints" [lithographs printed by Satoru Itazu], Museum Haus Kasuya, Kanagawa
2014 Chain of Life, chain of image, Mori Ogai Memorial Museum, Tokyo
2014 Intersection Point -Takao Okamura Project & 13 Artists, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2013 Borders, HARMAS Gallery, Tokyo
2012 Unknown Life -View [Series no.3], Waseda Scott Hall Gallery, Tokyo
2012 Unknown Voice [Series extra], Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo
2012 Unknown Surface [Series no.2], Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2010 WIND-OW, MA2 Gallery, Tokyo
2009 Autumn Songs, Variété Honroku, Tokyo
2008 Art in Time & Style Midtown Vol.4, Time & Style Midtown, Tokyo
2008 Ex-Surface, Artlantico Gallery, Tokyo
2007 Flowers, or not? Wu Yung Chieh, Taro Morimoto, VT Artsalon, Taipei, Taiwan
2007 Opening up New Horizons, PYO Gallery Beijing, Beijing, China
2007 Paradise of Illusion, MA2 Gallery, Tokyo
2007 Flowers, or not? Wu Yung Chieh, Taro Morimoto, Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo, Tokyo
2006 The 3rd Fuchu Biennial, On Beauty and Value, Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo
2006 10th Anniversary Exhibition of the Takao Okamura Project, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
2005 Reality Check, Tokyo Zokei University Yokoyama Memorial Manzù Art Museum, Tokyo
2004 Art By Xerox Jyugemu Exhibition'04 Super Multiple Art Project, Contemporary Art Factory, Tokyo
2003 Artists by Artists, Mori Arts Center, Tokyo
2002 Ten-Sen, Tokyo Design Center, Tokyo
2000 Tsuyoshi Nagaoka, Taro Morimoto, SS-Art, Tokyo
1999 Yoko Iwasaki, Yoichi Sano, Taro Morimoto, Gallery Hinoki, Tokyo
1998 Art By Xerox Jyugemu Exhibition'98 End of the century reproduction case, Contemporary Art Factory, Tokyo
1996 Yoichi Sano, Taro Morimoto, Ayumi Gallery, Tokyo
1996 JACA'96 Japan Visual Art Special Exhibition’96, Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo
1995 JACA'95 Japan Visual Art Exhibition, Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo
1994 JACA'94 Japan Visual Art Exhibition, Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo
1994 Tokyo Design Center Award '94, Tokyo Design Center, Tokyo