Keiji UEMATSU (1947-) is a sculpture who has his base in Kansai, Japan and Dusseldorf, Germany. His theme has consistently been the unseen universal force such as gravity and attraction since his first solo show in 1969, and his vigorous creativity has been highly appreciated. His works visualize the unseen forces by variously arranging materials like metals, stones, and woods so as to make the viewers imagine gravity or attraction. They go into more philosophic and symbolic representation asking universal dispensation or human being these days.
“I have been simply interested in the root, the origin, and the universal forces. They are somehow similar to the interest in the existence of human that is surrounded by nature, earth, and universe. I always work in order to create the relationship between people or to discover new meaning or at least something, by visualizing the structure, existence and relationship of the world from the unseen universal law.Deep in our sense, there is an unconscious sense of gravity, and we cannot survive without the gravity and the attraction. However, we have long been wishing to be freed from the gravity and attracted by those which are floating.” says the artist and here in this show, our practical sense will be subverted by the trial that creates the discovery of the shape of the floated and the gravity.
【Selected solo Exhibitions】
1977"Ausschnitte 1: Fritz Klingbeil, Charles Pulsford, Michael Schoenholtz, Keiji Uematsu, Reiner Ruthenbeck", Stadtische Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Germany
1980"Keiji Uematsu: Installation, Axis - Latitude - Longitude", P.S.1, New York
1981"Installation and Photo" Osaka Prefectural Contemporary Art Center
1984"Structure with Cloth and Branch", Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam, The Netherlands
198843rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, The Japan Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale, Venezia, Italy
1994The 3rd Kitakyushu Biennale: Quintessence, Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Fukuoka
1997"Behind the Perception," Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo
2003"Keiji Uematsu: Thinking on Body and Gaze – From '70s Photography and Video to New Works", Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Fukuoka
2003"Keiji Uematsu: From the Inclination of the Earth's Axis", Aomori Contemporary Art Center, Aomori
2005"Keiji Uematsu: Axis - Latitude - Longitude", Künstlerverein Malkasten (Jacobihaus), Dusseldorf, Germany
2006"Keiji Uematsu: The Garden of Time", Otani Memorial Art Museum , Nishinomiya City, Hyogo
2008"One day Museum", Ikuko's house, Kurashiki, Okayama
2010"Yearning for the Floating", Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Hyogo
2011"Touch of spiral", KEUMSAN GALLERY, Seoul, Republic of Korea
2011"To the 1970s – The Turning Point of Photography & Art: Copying, Reflection, Projection", Yumiko Chiba Associates viewing room shinjuku, Tokyo
2011"Parallèles dans l'espace-temps", galerie baudoin lebon" Paris, France
2012"From the Sign of Cosmic Space - Float", Galerie 16, Kyoto
2012"Axis - Gravity・Anti gravity", Gallery Nomart, Osaka
2013"Cutting - Axis-Latitude-Longtitude" Yumiko Chiba Associates viewing room shinjuku, Tokyo
2014"Invisible axis - distance and angle", Gallery Nomart, Osaka
2014"Frieze Masters: Spotlight", Regent's Park, London, UK
2015"Invisible Force", Galerie 16, Kyoto
2015"Keiji Uematsu: Invisible Force", ARARIO GALLERY CHEONAN, Korea
2016"Invisible Force and Seeing", Jacobihaus, Kunstlerverein Malkasten, Düsseldorf, Germany
2016"Invisible Force", Simon Lee Gallery, London, UK / New York, USA
2016"Seeing/Measuring/...", Baudoin Lebon, Paris, France
2017"Invisible Gravity", Gallery Nomart, Osaka
2018"Invisible Force", Galerie Loehr, Monchengladbach, Germany
2019"Keiji Uematsu: invisible Force", Simon Lee Gallery, New York, USA
2019"Look back on the future - Hypothesis", Gallery Nomart, Osaka
2019"Invisible Force and Floating", Yumiko Chiba Associates Viewwing room Shinjuku, Tokyo
2021"Ways of Touching the Invisible - Intuition", Ashiya City Museum of Art and History, Hyogo
2022"An Invitation to a nonsense Journey - Dreams of Seeing", Kirishima Open Air-Musem, Kagoshima
2023"looking back on the past from the future", Baudoin Lebon, Paris
2024"With a branch - Invisible / Visible - Energy", Gallery Nomart, Osaka
2026"Uematsu Keiji The View with Collections / Creation – Connection – Collection – Conception", BB Plaza MUSEUM of Art, Hyogo
【Selected Group Exhibitions】
2009Kobe Biennale 2009: Kobe Port Maritime Art Exhibition, Kobe Port, Hyogo
2000Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2000, Matsunoyama, Tokamachi City, Niigata
2012"The link Between Words and Art: An Homage to Nakahara Yusuke" Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe, Hyogo
2012"Strokes of the Pendulum", Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Hyogo
2025"Stopping and Looking Back, and then Facing Forward Vol.2: Tatsuo Kawaguchi, Norio Imai, Keiji Uematsu | The 1970s", gallery αM, Tokyo
2025"Collection 1950s - 1970s 419 Photography and Language", The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
2026"Line And Color, Form and Color " Bonisson Art Center, Aix en Provence, France
【Artist Information】
Keiji UEMATSU
SessionFri. Sep 17, 2010 - Fri. Oct 22, 2010 Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Hours11:00－13:00 / 14:00－19:00 [-17:00 on the last day]
PlaceGallery Yamaki Fine Art
Venue3-9-5-2F Motomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0022
ContactTEL: 078-391-1666 FAX : 078-391-1667 MAIL: info@gyfa.co.jp
AccessOne minute walk from Motomachi Station, West exit (JR/ Hanshin Line)
ChargeFree
