Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Press Release 2019/10/16

IZUMI KATO－LIKE A ROLLING SNOWBALL
July 13 (Saturday), 2019 – January 13 (Monday/national holiday), 2020
Venue: Hara Museum ARC (Gunma)
August 10 (Saturday), 2019 – January 13 (Monday/national holiday), 2020
Venue: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo)
The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art and Hara Museum ARC are proud to present solo exhibitions byIzumi Kato, an artist known for his powerful and mysterious depictions of human-like figures with a primitivistic
air. Kato began his career as a painter in the mid-1990s and began making wooden sculptures from the 2000s.
His participation in the Venice Biennale in 2007 and subsequent critical renown propelled his career on theinternational stage where he has enjoyed an ever increasing reputation within Europe, the United States andAsia. In recent years, attention has been focused on his newest endeavors, including the making ofinstallations incorporating varied materials such as stone and fabric, and more recently, the making of prints.
The exhibition at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Kato’s first major solo show at an art museum inTokyo, features 69 of his most recent paintings and sculptures. Originally a private residence, the museum
offers a unique and intimate space in which to experience Kato's works. On the other hand, his solo exhibition
at Hara Museum ARC in Gunma Prefecture is a massive-scale retrospective of Kato's 25-year careerconsisting of 145 pieces that include many well-known pieces and never-before-shown items from the artist'sown collection. The unfolding of Kato's career coincided with the Heisei imperial era in Japan which recentlyended. With the start of the new Reiwa imperial era, the timing of these exhibitions represents an opportune
time to re-examine Kato's creative arc to date and to imagine what new developments lay ahead.

■Highlights: What to Look Forward To

At Hara Museum ARC: A Chance to Trace Izumi Kato's Artistic Development from His Early Paintings
to His Latest Works
By bringing together 145 pieces ranging from his earliest works to his latest, including never-before-shownpieces, this exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Izumi Kato's career spanning a quarter of acentury. The human-like forms that mark Kato's work had already begun appearing in his paintings from themid-1990s. The juxtaposition within the museum's expansive and symmetrical galleries of representative
artworks from each part of his career makes it possible to trace the evolution of this motif and the artist's useof materials and methods over time. The focus at this venue will be Kato's trademark large-scale wooden
sculptures showcased within the museum’s main gallery featuring a 13-meter high ceiling, along with othersculptural works of various sizes made of soft vinyl, stone and other materials.
At the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art: A Chance to Ponder Izumi Kato's Current and Future
Developments through His Most Recent Works
The entire museum will be given 69 of Kato's latest paintings and sculptures to provide insight into the mostrecent developments in Kato's style, noted for his vigorous handling of pigments. This includes an installationin the museum's atrium space, Gallery I, an example of the artist's latest foray into the use of large pieces offabric. This exhibition represents a unique opportunity to experience Kato's work within the intimate
atmosphere of the Hara Museum, formerly a private residence. In addition, Kato's unique use of display cases
at this venue underscores his meticulous attention to the configuration of space.

■Artist ProfileBorn in Shimane, Japan in 1969, Kato is currently based in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He received a B.A. in oil
painting at Musashino Art University in 1992. His success on the international stage was propelled by his
participation in Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture at the Japan Society, New York USA in2005 and the 52nd Venice Biennale International Exhibition Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art inthe Present Tense curated by Robert Storr, Italian Pavilion at Giardini, Venice, Italy in 2007. A list of his solo
exhibitions includes KATO Izumi: Journeying into Each Day at The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa,Japan in 2010, SOUL UNION DELUXE at Kirishima Open-Air Museum, Kagoshima, Japan in 2012, Izumi
Kato at Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing, China in 2018 and Izumi Kato at Fundación Casa Wabi, Puerto
Escondido, Mexico in 2019. Group exhibitions include Visceral Sensation – Voices So Far, So Near at 21stCentury Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan in 2013, STANCE or DISTANCE? MyConnection with the World at Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan in 2015 andJapanorama. A new vision on art since 1970 at Centre Pompidou - Metz, Metz, France in 2017. He has
participated in public art projects at Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts in Hong Kong (2018-2020) andMarunouchi Street Gallery in Tokyo (2018-2021).

■Related Events *Details will be posted on the museum website.

□THE TETORAPOTZ Live Performance (with Special Guest SNATCH)
August 24 (Saturday) at Hara Museum ARC, Gunma□Dialogue between Maha Harada and Izumi KatoOctober 27 (Sunday) at Hara Museum ARC, Gunma□Bus Tours to Hara Museum ARC
Bus tours to Hara Museum ARC from Tokyo will be conducted on the dates of the above-mentioned events.
□Meet the Artist: Izumi Kato
November 16 (Saturday) at Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo■Merchandise for Sale during the Exhibitions

Original Izumi Kato products will be available during the exhibitions at the Museum Shop at the Hara Museumin Tokyo and Hara Museum ARC and SHOP@CAFE at Hara Museum ARC. These include the exhibition
catalogue, a special limited-edition lithograph and a new series of soft vinyl figures.
□Exhibition Catalogue
The contents of the exhibition catalogue include installation views at both venues, a dialogue between
Robert Storr and the artist, essays by Maha Harada and Kazuko Aono and an interview from the Chinese
art magazine art world (interviewer: Zhichao Luan/published in March 2018).
Length: 160 pages
Language: Japanese, English, ChinesePrice: 3,800 yen (not including tax)
Publisher: Seigensha Art Publishing
Release date: November 2019
□Soft Vinyl Figures in Exclusive Hara Museum and Hara Museum ARC Colors
A soft vinyl male figure (a re-release of the figure sold out in 2011) and a newly launched female figure will
be sold at both venues. They will be available in two color versions: one exclusive of the Hara Museum andthe other to Hara Museum ARC.
Price: 6,500 yen each (not including tax)
Produced by: Linden□Special Limited-edition Lithograph*Sold out
Size: 44.5 x 35 cm
Edition: 300 (200 copies for sale)Price: 58,000 yen (not including tax)
Printed by: Idem Paris

Special Limited-edition LithographPhoto: Kei Okanoⓒ 2019 Izumi Kato

■Images for Publication

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]
[5]
[1]* Untitled, oil on canvas, 103.5 x 73 cm, 2019 Photo: Kei Okano ©2019 Izumi Kato[2]* Untitled, oil on canvas, 228 x 130.5 cm, 2019 Photo: Kei Okano ©2019 Izumi Kato
[3]** Untitled, fabric, leather, pastel, acrylic paint, embroidery, stone, lithograph, chain, size varied
510 x 120 cm (fabric), 2018 Photo: Yusuke Sato ©2018 Izumi Kato
[4]** Untitled, wood, oil paint, acrylic paint, stone, 185 x 167 x 110 cm, 2008 Hara Museum Collection
Photo: Ikuhiro Watanabe ©2008 Izumi Kato
[5]** Untitled, wood, acrylic paint, charcoal, 205 x 56 x 52 cm, 2004 Takahashi Ryutaro Collection
Photo: Tsuyoshi Saito ©2004 Izumi Kato
*To be shown at Hara Museum, Tokyo **To be shown at Hara Museum ARC, Gunma

■Exhibition Information

Title: IZUMI KATO – LIKE A ROLLING SNOWBALL
Organized by: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Special cooperation provided by: Perrotin
Dates:
Hara Museum ARC
July 13 (Saturday), 2019 – January 13 (Monday/national holiday), 2020
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
August 10 (Saturday), 2019 – January 13 (Monday/national holiday), 2020
Hara Museum ARC
2855-1 Kanai, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma 377-0027

Tel: 0279-24-6585

Hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (last entry at 4:00 pm)
Closed: Thursdays (except during the month of August and January 2, 2020) and January 1, 2020
*Subject to temporary closure in the event of severe weather.
Admission: General 1,100 yen; Students 700 yen (high school and university) or 500 yen (elementary andjunior high); Free for Hara Museum members; Half price for those over 70
Combination ticket for Hara Museum ARC and Ikaho Green Bokujo: General 1,800 yen; Students 1,500 yen(high school and university), 1,400 yen (junior high), 800 yen (elementary); Half price for those over 70*10% discount for groups of 20 or more.
*For residents of Gunma Prefecture: Free admission for elementary and junior high school children every
Saturday during the school term/200-yen-discount on admission for up to five persons upon presentation of
the Guchoki Passport.
Directions: By train: Take the Joetsu/Hokuriku Shinkansen to Takasaki, change to the Joetsu/Agatsuma Line,and disembark at Shibukawa. From Shibukawa, ARC is 10 minutes away by taxi or 15 minutes by bus (takethe Ikaho Onsen bus to ″Green Bokujo Mae″). By car: 8 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Kan-etsu
Expressway Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange (in the direction of Ikaho Onsen). Free parking is available (50spaces).
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001

Tel: 03-3445-0651

Hours: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, Wednesdays until 8:00 pm (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (except August 12, September 16, 23, October 14, November 4 and January 13, 2020),
August 13, September 17, 24, October 15, November 5 and December 26 – January 3.
Admission: General 1,100 yen; Students 700 yen (high school and university) or 500 yen (elementary andjunior high); 550 yen for those over 70; Free for Hara Museum members, students through high school every
Saturday during the school term; 100 yen discount for groups of 20 or more.
Directions: 5 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes on foot from JR Shinagawa Station (Takanawa exit); or from thesame station take the Tan No.96 bus, get off at the first stop (Gotenyama), and walk 3 minutes.

■Press Enquiries

Contact: Yasuko Kajita / Junko Watanabe
Tel: +81.3.3280.0679
E-mail: press@haramuseum.or.jp
Website: https://www.haramuseum.or.jp