The Kiyoshima Artist Residency is a long-term residence in Beppu where about eight artists stay and develop their work all along the year.

Here are very short and simple notes of first impressions of their work.

Hitomi Ikeda - She neats the web...

Hitomi Ikeda is an artist who dedicates her work to knitting. She is wiping the dust down the idea of typical knitting and she creates amazing art pieces. Her art work can invade one room as a giant web installation. Sometimes the web is falling down a big light in a spiral stairs corridor. Her pattern makes also think about strange coral from the sea.

Ebisu Mio - Moving, but Picturing

It is quite rare for Japanese people to travel or to move from house to house, but Ebisu Mio is part on the rare ones to have done it. As if she wanted to stop the movement, she made some paintings and drawings that represent the landscapes she saw. Her eyes snapshot also landscapes from across the frontier and her art encountered European arts. She mentioned for instance a portrait of Napolean or "The Tower of Babel". Her art work is very intense, some drawings make you feel a strong impression.

Megumi Ono - Gran'Ma, You're Fashion!

Megumi Ono studied fashion, but her talent is more poetic than business frenetic orientated. The colors she uses is yellow sand or white cotton and the pattern seems to pop-up like bubbles. The artist came to Beppu with the wish of working with elderly people. She is interested in any kind of fashion and why not exploring Gran'Ma's style?

Masamitsu Katsu - First

Since 2005, Masamitsu Katsu and his best accomplice, a pencil, have been created many art works. First, his art work can be considered as an art installation (e.g.: giant paper format that the artist draw by himself with a pencil). But his work questions also the representation of the world, things and people. Sometimes playing with the meaning representation: the art is actually representing the image with a drawing, but the pencil is also giving a 3D shape that represents the exact form of the object. Alongside with market, or walking in the streets, the artist is making really good portrait of people living in Beppu. One of the last concept is "draw yourself", an installation that plays with the use of a paper entirely colored by the pencil and which produces a mirror effect. Thus the drawing is itself reflecting another image...

Yasuhito Kawasaki - Myself?

Yasuhito Kawasaki is making the dream of many child comes true, these child who have always wanted to play with small characters. His small sculptures are representing some real people that the artist decided to pictures according their job (we have the taxi driver, the hotel manager, etc...). The artist is even representing himself, turning his face into something funny like a lovely Christmas or fantasy character. Sometimes the artist's character is accompanied by a smaller character behind him. This dual image could maybe represent a couple, a brother and sister or some twins....

Akiko Hirota - the line

Akiko Hirota or Hira has turned her talent for drawing into something that could be illustrations for children books. The images she creates are very colorful and joyful. The drawing's line is very strong and bold too as if she would like to make it easy to catch for the eye. Artist, designer, Hira is also very creative and the audience can discover her work presented in café, market, etc.

Tatsuo Majima - teasing the art

Tatsuo Majima and his critical eye are turning everything with a good sense of humor. He is always pushing the line of the definition of art. For example, he presented an exhibition of movie posters of all the movies in which Tom Cruise acted. Funny hum? But why? The purpose is not the first that came to your mind, you have to trust your second thought. The artist encourages you in not always taking everything at the first level, but to look for the real meaning. Ask yourself the question and find answers.

Thank you the artists for your presentation. We wish to see your art work very soon at Kiyoshima Residence!

Kiyoshima Artist Residence (facebook page):

https://www.facebook.com/kiyoshimaapart