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Kawakami Kenji
Nakajima Lock AreaDentaku
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Kawakami’s compositions exude a primal, robust air of vitality. His powerful strokes seem to be in defiance of the physical disabilities of his body, and the multilayered brushwork endows the canvas with emotion. His themes include abandoned cat revenge stories, bloody pro-wrestler scenes, depictions of his favorite action superheroes from childhood, and people from his everyday life, including friends and the staff of the Kibo no Sono care home. His works contain monsters, ghouls, and ghosts, intertwining real events with memory. The resulting scenes are frightful and urgent, yet somehow humorous—perhaps reflecting Kawakami’s character. The color palette is vivid, befitting the brushwork, and contrasting hues of red, blue, and yellow vie for attention on the canvas. Because of his memorable presence at the easel, he was affectionally known by the nickname “master painter Kawakami” at Kibo no Sono.
About the Artist
b. 1953 in Mie Prefecture. Kawakami began creating pictures at home around age 11. He started attending the Kibo no Sono (“Garden of Hope”) care home in 1997 when he was 43 and took up oil painting in 2000. Past exhibitions of his work include Kawakami Kenji (Matsusaka City Cultural Asset Center, 2004) and group exhibitions such as Art as It Is: Expressions from the Obscure (University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, 2020) and The Garden of Hope (Tokushima Modern Art Museum, 2023). Kawakami received the Excellence Award at the 63rd Mie Prefectural Exhibition. He passed away in 2022.
[On exhibit] “Kikaider 01,” unfinished work, oil on canvas.
[On exhibit] “Who Will Eat the Zebra,” 2012, oil on canvas.
[On exhibit] “Johnson Got a Wife,” 2004, oil on canvas.
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Kawakami Kenji
主催｜認定NPO法人趣都金澤、独立行政法人日本芸術文化振興会、文化庁
共催｜富山県、富山市、（公財）富山県文化振興財団
協力｜富山県美術館、富山交通株式会社、酒商 田尻本店、北陸銀行岩瀬支店、樂翠亭美術館、株式会社桝田酒造店
連携｜市場街、KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa、ガラスフェスタ、KUTANism、千年未来工藝祭、富山市ガラス美術館、ブールバールエリアマネジメント富山、RENEW
後援｜ＪＲ西日本、富山経済同友会、富山商工会議所
委託｜令和５年度日本博2.0事業（委託型）
GO FOR KOGEI 事務局（株式会社ノエチカ内）
石川県金沢市下本多町六番丁40-1
お問い合わせ
info@goforkogei.com
Kawakami’s compositions exude a primal, robust air of vitality. His powerful strokes seem to be in defiance of the physical disabilities of his body, and the multilayered brushwork endows the canvas with emotion. His themes include abandoned cat revenge stories, bloody pro-wrestler scenes, depictions of his favorite action superheroes from childhood, and people from his everyday life, including friends and the staff of the Kibo no Sono care home. His works contain monsters, ghouls, and ghosts, intertwining real events with memory. The resulting scenes are frightful and urgent, yet somehow humorous—perhaps reflecting Kawakami’s character. The color palette is vivid, befitting the brushwork, and contrasting hues of red, blue, and yellow vie for attention on the canvas. Because of his memorable presence at the easel, he was affectionally known by the nickname “master painter Kawakami” at Kibo no Sono.
[On exhibit] “Kikaider 01,” unfinished work, oil on canvas.
About the Artist
b. 1953 in Mie Prefecture. Kawakami began creating pictures at home around age 11. He started attending the Kibo no Sono (“Garden of Hope”) care home in 1997 when he was 43 and took up oil painting in 2000. Past exhibitions of his work include Kawakami Kenji (Matsusaka City Cultural Asset Center, 2004) and group exhibitions such as Art as It Is: Expressions from the Obscure (University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, 2020) and The Garden of Hope (Tokushima Modern Art Museum, 2023). Kawakami received the Excellence Award at the 63rd Mie Prefectural Exhibition. He passed away in 2022.
[On exhibit] “Who Will Eat the Zebra,” 2012, oil on canvas.
[On exhibit] “Johnson Got a Wife,” 2004, oil on canvas.
