AIDA Makoto “E-BAKA”（TOKYO）

Mizuma Art Gallery is delighted to announce the solo exhibition by AIDA Makoto “E-BAKA”. 

We would like to introduce the content with the artist’s own words in 『 』. 

Mizuma Art Gallery had moved to current space in the autumn of 2009 and this 『 long-awaited large space is already packed with the huge paintings and there are no stingy small pieces. This is such a straightforward exhibition. 』

For this exhibition Aida has been painting “Ash Color Mountain” (3 x 7 meter), since last summer in Beijing. Drawing piles of businessmen tangled with office equipment every single day, he saw the scorching summer, freezing winter and spring. 

『 This is such a tour de force as this is the largest number of people I ever drew in one piece and no work will exceed this in the future. 』 The work is 『 brother work 』 of “Blender” (2001) which consist of piles of naked women, and 『 revenge work to “ZAKU (War Picture Returns – side B” which was made as an homage to Leonard Fujita’s “Last Stand at Attu”, as I was dissatisfied with its finish. Very serious work and overinterpretation is welcome. 』 In that sense, it can be said that the piece is linked to “A Picture of an Air Raid on New York City（War Picture Returns）”

Also there will be” Encounter of the Fat and the Slim with Ten-thousand Yen Bill Background” (4.5×10 meter), which was once exhibited at “Art de Sauro: Aida Makoto / Yamaguchi Akira” (The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo) in 2007 with overall touch up. 

The focus of this work is on decorative aspect of the painting, and due to its extraordinarily large size, the finished piece will be spreat to walls and be like 『 Momoyama Shohekiga (painting on a room partition in Momoyama period) installation. There is no meaning at all but is only stimulation to the retina and pure service to the visual nerve. That is the quintessence of traditional Japanese painting. 』

As you might know that the exhibition title “E-BAKA” is a rip-off of a singer Ken Hirai’s CD album title “UTABAKA”, 『 that is already BAKA 』(idiot). The artist infuses the title with 『 enthusiasm for taking his negative origin, i.e. graduating Japanese Art University, and worse, from oil painting course. 』 This attitude is presented in a new oil painting and video work. 

He rarely produces oil paintings, so this is a venture work. The artist said that he 『 unsealed the oil painting technique for the first time in a quarter- century. 』 He is enthusiastic about 『 producing what is called the “oil painting” to prove himself that he is still a graduate of the oil painting course. 』

Aida is also with a reputation of ridiculous video work such as “The video of a man calling himself Bin Laden staying in Japan”(2005). For this show, he is creating the new controversial work behind the closed door by 『 addressing Japanese Art University which, may be no exaggeration to say that, shaped after modern Japanese art. 』

『 As the exhibition title signifies, I might be mad for painting or the painting I made is BAKA, or I am simply making a fool of painting… I hope you will enjoy this art show in terms of this aspect. 』