When it comes to creating paintings that exceed the scale of the artist’s own body, the purpose is often somewhat different for painters whose primary output consists of small- to medium- sized works that can be displayed in an ordinary home. Because large-scale works require substantial exhibition space, opportunities to present them publicly are inevitably limited. Nevertheless, Ogasawara is one of the artists who have continued to create large-scale works on a regular basis. Moreover, his large works do not usually consist of a single canvas. They are often composed of multiple large panels joined together to form a single piece. Ideally, such works would be exhibited in a spacious, open environment such as a museum. Fully aware of this, it was I who proposed exhibiting one of these large-scale works in our gallery, a space that is, if anything, rather small in terms of exhibition area.
For some time, I have found a distinct appeal in Ogasawara’s large-scale works, one that differs from the qualities found in his small- and medium-sized paintings. According to Ogasawara, creating large-scale works is also an essential opportunity to explore new forms of expression and develop new approaches to his practice. In some works, Ogasawara even runs as he paints, drawing lines across the full breadth of the picture surface. Within these vast images, one can sense the traces of their making: the boldness and decisiveness that come from confronting something larger than oneself, a razor-thin edge between decisiveness and madness, and a constant attentiveness to motifs that are never abandoned. The longer one spends with these works, the more such traces reveal themselves, often leading to moments that are genuinely breathtaking. One of the unique qualities of working on a large scale may be the ability to engage the whole body in the act of painting. By confronting vast picture surfaces, Ogasawara discovers new ideas and insights, which he then brings back into the creation of his small- and medium-sized works, allowing his artistic expression to continue evolving. For this reason, when I considered how best to introduce Ryoichi Ogasawara as a painter, I felt a strong desire to share his large-scale works with as many people as possible. That personal wish became the starting point for this exhibition.
Our gallery is not large enough to allow viewers to step back and fully grasp these works in a single glance. Yet I came to feel that this limitation might also be its strength. Because of the close proximity between viewer and painting, it becomes possible to create an exhibition centered on physical and sensory experience, as though one were standing within the work itself. What one thinks, feels, or discovers when confronted by such a vast image is entirely up to the person standing before it.
Following the first phase of the exhibition, centered on the large-scale work Kotsuhata no Fuji (骨波田の藤), a second exhibition of new small- and medium-sized works will open in late November. Seen from this perspective, the large painting on view here may be regarded as a kind of source, from which those later works emerge. I would be very pleased if visitors could take this opportunity to experience this aspect of Ogasawara’s art for themselves.

KUJIRANOHONE GALLERY
Mikiko Iida