Hamada Kiyoshi Exhibition: “What is Painting?”

Event
Opening reception with the artist
Date and time: October 11 (Sat), 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM


＊The artist will be present on the following dates October 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, (12:00 PM - 4:00 PM)

Mizoe Gallery Tokyo is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Kiyoshi Hamada. This February, the Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art held a major retrospective, “Kiyoshi Hamada: Journey - 1975 and onward” showcasing the full scope of Hamada's half-century of creative work. Kiyoshi Hamada (born in 1937 in Kochi Prefecture) began exhibiting his work in the late 1950s while attending Tama Art University. He consistently pursued abstract expressions, creating the monumental plywood painting ‘work 75’ in 1975, a pivotal moment in his artistic career. Then, in 1980, he unveiled his “DRAWING” series. These works in which he drew lines relentlessly with pencil, seemingly turning the paper into graphite, garnered much acclaim. Since then, he has experimented with various techniques—from “drawing lines” to “spreading,” “scratching,” “layering,” “carving,” “shaving,” and ‘assembling’—producing works that seem to question “What is painting?” This exhibition will center around ‘work 75’ produced in 1975, and the ‘DRAWING’ series which began in 1980, but will also present 3-meter-wide large-scale pieces alongside his latest works from 2025.


Kiyoshi Hamada
1937, Born in Kochi Prefecture
1961, Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Painting, Oil Painting Major
1975, Exhibited the plywood painting, ‘work 75’
1980, First exhibition of the series, with papers filled in using pencil.
Numerous solo and group exhibitions
2015, “The Legacy of Kiyoshi Hamada – Paintings of Layering and Erasing” (Nerima Art Museum, Tokyo)
February 2025, “Kiyoshi Hamada: Journey – 1975 and onward” (Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art)
October 2025, “Kiyoshi Hamada: The Beginning of Connections, Repeatedly” (Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Contemporary Gallery)

[Public Collections]
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; Artizon Museum; Nerima Art Museum; Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery; Fuchu Art Museum; Mitaka City Art Gallery; Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts; Okazaki City Art Museum; Osaka Contemporary Art Center; Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art; Shiraki International Museum of Contemporary Art; Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts; National Museum of Fine Arts, Krakow; Cleveland Museum of Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Art Gallery of New South Wales


【Concurrent Exhibition】
Kiyoshi Hamada Exhibition “The Beginning of Connections, Repeatedly”
October 1 (Wed) – 13 (Mon, Holiday), 2025 [Closes at 5:00 PM on the final day]
Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Main Building 6F, Contemporary Gallery