AND COLLECTION Contemporary Art is pleased to present DIVE to PAINT, a solo exhibition by Soichi Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi’s practice begins with a close observation of what happens within a painting—the accumulation and overlapping of layers of paint. While we can only see the outermost layer when viewing a finished work, beneath its surface lies a history of accumulated time: layer upon layer of paint, traces of the process through which the work has been created, and the transformation of paint and canvas as physical materials into an image. By turning his attention to these hidden layers and processes, Yamaguchi reconsiders the nature of painting itself, exploring what a painting can be and how it comes into existence.

-Artist Message-

There are moments when, while walking down a street, I suddenly become aware of the ground beneath my feet.

How far below this concrete surface does the soil begin?

How far am I from an underground water vein?

If I were to keep digging, how deep would I have to go before reaching solid bedrock?

I imagine that many of us have experienced moments when we become fascinated by invisible layers that we cannot see, yet know are undoubtedly there, just beneath the surface.

My work explores painting through these hidden layers—the strata and accumulation of paint that, once covered by subsequent layers, become invisible to us.

When we view a painting in a museum or gallery, we are essentially looking at the paint on its outermost surface. Yet the layers beneath it, hidden upon completion, and the process through which each layer came into being are indispensable parts of the journey toward the finished work.

Throughout this process, I feel that I am not simply creating an image, but painting itself.

I want to see painting, and to paint, while embracing everything that takes place along the way.

This is DIVE to PAINT.

Painting is often described as a “surface” or a “window.” But what would painting look like if we could dive beneath that surface—into a world unfolding within fractions of a millimeter—or enter the pictorial space beyond the window?

By looking at painting from a slightly different perspective, I hope you will discover and enjoy the depth that exists within it.

Soichi Yamaguchi