| KEN HAMAZAI ＞ WORKS |
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MAZE PAINTING |
When Hamazaki was a child, he constantly
drew mazes, and he experimented with their
use in his work as a young artist. In
1994, the monumental exhibition Maze Painting
was held in Osaka, establishing it as his
signature drawing technique. The
U.S. rock group The Velvet Underground
inspired these early works; Hamazaki depicted
band members such Lou Reed and Nico using
intricate mazes. He then began using
this style to create self-portraits, images
of famous artists (Basquiat, Warhol, and
Picasso, among others), and commissioned
portraits. Today these works remain
an important part of his practice.
>>A list of works |
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PUZZLE PAINTING |
Puzzle Paintings were created in response
to a dream that Hamazaki had and was first
shown in Osaka in 1994. To create
these puzzle paintings Hamazaki randomly
picks up pieces of a puzzle, colors them
(using red, black, and yellow, in the
case of Mona Lisa #-5 Puzzle Painting,
at right), and assembles them as a single
work of art. Created by chance,
the appearance of the artwork is completely
impossible to determine until assembled
and viewed. These works, particularly
Kie Tamo Nali Sa (Mona Lisa Disappeared
by a Mirror) and A Ka Imo Nali SaI (Painted-out
Mona Lisa in Red), have been widely shown
in various exhibitions.
>>A list of works |
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MAGNET PAINTING |
The technique of magnet painting developed
by Hamazaki derives from his interpretation
of the Sand Mandala tradition of Tibetan
Buddhism, which uses colored sands to assemble
complex drawings. In place of sand,
Hamazaki uses small magnets that are 1.5
cm (0.6 inches) in diam eter and stuck
to a magnetic surface. Since attachment
and removal are easy, the work disappears
when the magnets are taken off the board. Following
his first work in the medium, a gigantic
self-portrait in 1998, Hamazaki began experimenting
with magnets to create a wide variety of
work. In the Whatoday series, for
example, Hamazaki created drawings that
act as calendars, using his magnets to
display the day's date.
>>A list of works |
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PERFORMANCE |
The tea ceremony is an elaborate Japanese
tradition, typically represented with very
composed, serene art. Hamazaki transforms
tea ceremony performance art into a unique
avant-garde creation. In these performances,
Hamazaki attempts to reinsert the noble
concept of art back into daily life. The
tatami mat placed across from him invites
visitors to enter the work from the outside
world, a different space surrounded by
an invisible barrier. In these performances
a silent dialogue develops between the
artist and the visitor as the ceremony
progresses. There is no correct
way to drink the tea. Rather, the
method and feeling become expressions of
each guest's character. As Hamazaki
says, “The visitor is in the leading role,
and I merely serve the tea. You
are God.”
>>A list of works |
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copyright 2007 KEN HAMAZAKI RED GALLERY. all rights reserved.
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