Junya Tsubota

Cycle I, 2022

Natural mineral pigment, mineral pigment, suihi, mica, gold leaf, aluminum leaf on Japanese paper (Kochimashi)

39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inches(100 x 100 x 3cm) SEIZAN Gallery is pleased to present Rhythm, the solo exhibition of Japanese artist, Junya Tsubota. On view from November 3 through December 23, 2022, the show presents ten new “Nihonga” paintings. This is his first solo exhibition in the United States. The opening reception with the artist will be Thursday, November 3, 6-8pm. 

Junya Tsubota is a successor of “Nihonga,” a style of painting unique to Japan.  It is often characterized by the use of natural materials such as pigments of ground minerals or shell powders, a binder of animal glue, metal leaf, and “washi” paper made with mulberry. The history of Nihonga goes back hundreds of years. Tsubota studied Nihonga at Tokyo University of Arts and continues to explore new possibilities to keep the tradition alive as contemporary art. 

With ten newly completed paintings, Tsubota will transform the space of SEIZAN Gallery New York with commanding rhythm and color. The paintings are variations on a subject he has explored for years:

 the effect of rippling across water. 

 “The ripple dances rhythmically on the surface of water. It is like an improvised musical phrase or an illusion appearing and disappearing instantly on a mirror,” says Tsubota. The artist nods to two Japanese style traditions: “Kimpekiga,” decorative painting with gold and silver from the 16th century and “Karesansui,” dry gardens set with rocks and stones in depiction of flowing water. Tsubota pushes the boundaries of traditional painting in a unique contemporary expression, between abstraction and figuration.

Junya Tsubota was born in 1974 in Saitama, Japan. He received his Master’s degree in Nihonga Painting in 2001 from Tokyo University of the Arts. Tsubota’s works have appeared in exhibitions in Asia, Europe, and North America. He lives and works in Saitama, Japan. 

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