General Information

Title: “Pithecanthropus: Project by The 6th Laboratory Oil-Painting Department of Tokyo University of the Arts”

Dates: February 19^th (Wed) – March 3^rd (Mon), 2025

Exhibiting Artists:

Rio Uchino/ Tadashi Umemoto/ Lea Embeli/ Ro Kiko/ Takumi Kokubo/ Eri Fukami/ Hinako Miyabayashi/ Kazuma Yamamoto/ Ryota Watanabe/ Kaoru Usukubo/ Michael Rikio Ming Hee Ho

MITSUKOSHI CONTEMPORARY GALLERY (Tokyo) is pleased to present “Pithecanthropus: Project by The 6th Laboratory Oil-Painting Department of Tokyo University of the Arts”, a group exhibition by the members of the 6th Laboratory Oil-Painting Department of Tokyo University of the Arts, from February 19 (Wednesday) to March 3 (Monday), 2025. This exhibition project features the members of the 6th Laboratory (Rio Uchino/ Tadashi Umemoto/ Lea Embeli/ Ro Kiko/ Takumi Kokubo/ Eri Fukami/ Hinako Miyabayashi/ Kazuma Yamamoto/ Ryota Watanabe/ Kaoru Usukubo), with Michael Rikio Ming Hee Ho as a guest artist. As a result of extensive dialogues among the members, the works presented in this exhibition are a departure from their ordinary practices, offering fresh and experimental perspectives.

Cooperation : Gallery 38, Hiro Okamoto Gallery, KOTARO NUKAGA, SOM Gallery, WAITINGROOM

Statement

This exhibition began with the act of “visiting.” Through repeated visits and dialogues, new perspectives emerged, and the works shifted to a different position. We wanted to consider this exhibition as a space where works are placed in an alternative axis, much like how this shift emerged from the dialogues.

When we visited the opening party of an exhibition, Tomoko Ashikawa, the director of WAITINGROOM, and the artist, Michael Ho, welcomed us. Michael talked about his artistic practices in front of us, and it was here that our first dialogue began. That moment transcended a simple conversation; it became a space that made us realize the potential of complex communication through language, which lies at the core of how humanity builds communities. This dialogue encouraged the transmission of knowledge and experience, and this mutual communication ultimately came to fruition in the form of the exhibition.

For this exhibition, we, as exhibiting artists, each create our works while holding the concept of "Pithecanthropus" as a common thread. Although this term emerged from our dialogues, it has become a key concept for the exhibition.

"Pithecanthropus" (formally “Homo erectus”), considered an ancestor of human beings, emerged in Africa around 1.8 million years ago. While much about them remains unresolved, a general understanding of their ecosystem has been formed through excavated tools and bones. What is particularly fascinating is that their creation processes were closely tied to their life activities. The act of making tools, such as stone implements, was directly linked to survival purposes, including hunting and cooking.

Today, creative practice is often considered not as a life-sustaining activity but as a cultural pursuit, unnecessary for survival. However, considering that “Homo erectus” engaged in creative activities for their survival, it is intriguing to think that today's notion of "creation" can be seen as an extension of those survival-driven activities.

When we think about the relationship between creation and human beings, one particular event comes to mind. About four years ago, during the global paralysis caused by the spread of the coronavirus, essential occupations for sustaining life were prioritized in Japan, while cultural professions were deemed less necessary. In times of crisis, culture is often placed on the back burner. Yet, the question persisted in our minds: isn’t culture what sustains the well-being of the spirit? Despite evolving in value alongside history, creation resides at the core of humanity, allowing us to touch on the very factors that make “Homo sapiens” who we are.

Human can become both machines and flowers. We can be both permanent and fleeting. While we are always at the forefront of time, we are simultaneously part of the past. If we are influenced, even faintly, by 1.8 million years of history, then the present will become a trace for humanity in the distant future. Through this encounter with the trace, perhaps it will become a proof of our existence, allowing new leaves to unfold once again.

Rio Uchino and Takumi Kokubo