From September 14 to September 23, 2022, we're pleased to present SYNESTHESIA , an online-exclusive presentation of two art forms by two artists for the Fall 2022 Asian Art Week New York.
The lavishly colored oil canvases of Manika Nagare (b. 1975) and the meditative photographic portraits of Hitoshi Fugo (b. 1947) both evoke a highly sensory and synesthetic experience of sound, color, and shape for the viewer. Nagare uses her paintbrush to capture the ephemeral remnants of light and sound that she feels in the air or in her mind. Fugo photographs viewers of two different waterfalls (Kegon Falls and Niagara Falls) from behind, exploring the meaning of the personal and universal act of gazing at overwhelming nature.
Nagare strives to extract colors from the infinite spectrum of light omnipresent in her surroundings – people and the world at large. When light sparkles, she can see “the simple and absolute color”– according to the artist. Nagare plays with multiple layers of simple colors, conveying shifting differences in light and perspective. Brushstrokes are as light as a feather touching skin and lines are as organic as a flowing waterfall. Her solo exhibition "Spectrum of Vivid Moments" will be helf at Nariwa Museum in Okayama Japan from September 17 to December 18, 2022.
Fugo's work negotiates existing orders and relationships between his subjects and locations physically and psychologically. He creates a simple structure by juxtaposing images taken in two different locations: Kegon Falls (Japan) on the left and Niagara Falls (USA/Canada) on the right.
The photographs focusing on the back of a watcher present countless visual clues to the subjects’ individuality and even evoke our imagination of his/her inner feelings. In addition to a set of 23 pairs of "Waterfall" watchers, Fugo completed another set of 23 pairs of "City" watchers taken at Tokyo and New York skyscrapers.
