倉谷惠美的藝術旅程是自我與世界之間的對話，一場超越物理界限、深入到內心世界、在虛構與現實之間玩味的探索。她的作品主題貫穿不同的風景和時刻，每件作品蘊含著獨特的信息，編織出一幅幅同時包容甜美少女時代和冷靜沉思時刻的畫面。

Emi Kuraya’s artistic journey is a dialogue between the self and the world, an exploration that transcends physical boundaries to delve into the realms of inner landscapes and the nuanced interplay between fiction and reality. Her thematic array traverses various sceneries and moments, each piece resonating with a distinct message, yet collectively weaving a tapestry of sweet girlhood and sober contemplation.

Why it matters:

此次展覽呈現了倉谷惠美對於女性身份、青春時代以及個人與環境之間互動的深刻洞察。倉谷惠美藝術實踐的一個重要方面是她以女性人物，尤其是少女為主要創作對象。這種題材的選擇帶有濃厚的個人色彩，同時也涉及了性別、觀念和社會建構等更廣泛的議題，影響著我們對於少女時代的理解和詮釋。在展覽中，觀眾可以看到從日常生活中捕捉的瞬間，如一個準備旅行的年輕女孩、一個在城市中穿梭的女學生、以及一個與想像中的朋友站在複雜的現代建築前的孤獨女孩。這些作品展示了青春與成長的不同面貌，並突顯了個人與周遭環境的互動。

This exhibition presents Emi Kuraya’s profound insights into female identity, adolescent years, and the interaction between the individual and their environment. An essential aspect of Kuraya’s artistic practice is her focus on female figures, especially young girls, as her main subjects. This choice of subject matter carries a personal significance and touches on broader issues such as gender, perceptions, and societal constructs, influencing our understanding and interpretation of girlhood. In the exhibition, viewers can see moments captured from everyday life, such as a young girl preparing for a trip, a female student navigating through the city, and a lonely girl standing in front of complex modern architecture with an imaginary friend. These works display various facets of youth and growth and highlight the interactions between individuals and their surrounding environments.

3 Highlights:

• 男孩和貓的形象也出現在倉谷惠美的畫作中。例如，一幅作品描繪了一對少男少女在東京時尚的原宿地區分享零食的親密場景——那是建立關係和感情萌芽的時刻；另一幅作品則描繪了一對年輕男女在電視塔前的情景，女孩向男孩靠攏並比出V手勢，彷彿在為紀念他們的關係而留影。還有一幅作品中，黑貓和白貓在一棵樹上靜靜地共處，這反映了和諧又多樣的夥伴關係，豐富了她的視覺敘事。用藝術家自己的話說，男孩是 「異性作為一種未知的存在」，當男孩出現時，與其說他們本身是人物，不如說他們是為突顯女性經驗多層次複雜性的元素，為藝術家所描繪的以女性為主的風景增添了深度和對比。
• Figures of boys and cats also appear in Kuraya’s paintings. One work, for example, captures a teenage boy and girl duo amidst the intimate act of sharing snacks — a moment of bonding and budding relationships – in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku district. A further work depicts a young boy and girl couple in front of a TV tower, the girl leaning towards the boy with a V-sign, as if in a souvenir photo of their relationship. In another painting, the tranquil coexistence of black and white cats atop a tree mirrors the harmonious contrasts and the diverse companionships that enrich her visual narratives. Boys, ‘the opposite gender as unknown existence’ in the artist’s own words, when they appear, are not so much characters in their own right as they are elements that highlight the multilayered complexity of female experience, adding depth and contrast to the predominantly female landscapes she portrays.

• 倉谷惠美的作品有一種「輕盈」的感覺，這體現在粉彩色調、女孩們天真無邪的神情和日常場景的熟悉感上。然而，她對色彩的選擇並非刻意為之，而是讓她的調色板從繪畫技法中自然演化而來，利用光和畫布相互作用產生如此的紋理和色調。這種方法基於她對素描和圓珠筆繪畫的使用，而這些素描和圓珠筆繪畫在轉化為油畫之前，藝術家會先用水彩逐層疊加顏色，這表明了她對光的關注——光不僅是一種物理現象，也是一種隱喻，照亮了她筆下人物所居住的空間。
• Emi Kuraya’s works possess a “lightness” feel, reflected in the pastel color tones, the innocent expressions of the girls, and the familiarity of the everyday scenes depicted. However, her choice of colors is not deliberate. Still, it allows her palette to evolve naturally from her painting techniques, utilizing the interaction between light and the canvas to produce such textures and hues. This method is based on her use of sketches and ballpoint pen drawings, which are layered with watercolours before being transformed into oil paintings, highlighting her focus on light—not only as a physical phenomenon but also as a metaphor illuminating the spaces inhabited by her characters.

• 倉谷惠美的作品核心是探討虛構與現實之間的關係。她將個人經歷、記憶以及對日本文化的觀察融入畫作，讓人物從她豐富的想像中湧現出來。這種創作的開放性邀請觀眾參與進來，去面對自己的目光、自己的情感，或許還能從中找到自己的影子。
• At the core of Emi Kuraya’s work is the exploration of the relationship between fiction and reality. She integrates personal experiences, memories, and observations of Japanese culture into her paintings, allowing characters to emerge from her rich imagination. This openness in her creation invites viewers to engage, to confront their gaze and emotions, and perhaps even find a reflection of themselves.

Background — Emi Kuraya

倉谷惠美1995年出生於日本神奈川縣，目前工作生活於日本神奈川縣。倉古惠美是日本當代藝術圖景中最有趣、最令人耳目一新的新生代藝術家之一。雖然年紀尚輕，但畢業於東京多摩美術大學的倉谷惠美已在日本多地以及貝浩登首爾、上海和巴黎空間舉辦了備受矚目的個展，並分別於香港巴塞爾藝術展與弗里茲藝博會紐約展會呈現作品，因其新聲力量與作品隱含的動人的深層意涵而備受好評。倉谷惠美自2018年起加入Kaikai Kiki——由村上隆發起成立的藝術企業。

Emi Kuraya was born in 1995 in Kanagawa, Japan, now lives and works in Kanagawa, Japan. She is one of the most interesting and refreshing new voices in the contemporary Japanese art panorama. A graduate of Tokyo’s Tama Art University, in spite of her young age Kuraya has already had a few high-profile solo shows, in Japan and at Perrotin Seoul, Shanghai and Paris, and has been exhibited at Art Basel in Basel, Hong Kong and also at Frieze New York, receiving wide acclaim for the freshness, and the deep layers of meaning that make her work so captivating. Since 2018, Kuraya has been a member of Kaikai Kiki, the art society founded by Takashi Murakami.

Final Tips:

通過捕捉青春期的瞬間，倉谷惠美創造了一個空間，讓觀看者與被觀看者之間的界限變得模糊，每一個眼神、每一個場景都可開啟通往無數詮釋的大門。

In capturing these fleeting moments of adolescence, Kuraya creates a space where the line between the viewer and the viewed blurs, where each glance holds a story, and every scene is a gateway to myriad interpretations.

少女的時間｜Girl’s Time
Date:
2024. 7. 20 – 2024. 8. 31
Venue:
香港尖沙咀梳士巴利道18號, K11 ATELIER, 807室
807, K11 ATELIER Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Courtesy of Artist Emi Kuraya and PERROTIN HONG KONG