Takuro Someya Contemporary Art is pleased to announce the upcoming solo exhibition Abstractions / Extractions by Enrico Isamu Oyama. This exhibition explores the hybridity of semantic and contextual formations in Oyama’s work, examining the intricate processes of abstraction within his paintings through the concept of ‘extraction.’

Expanding upon the field of aerosol writing, which emerged in New York during the 1970s and 80s as both a practice of urban marking and a form of ephemeral visual communication, Oyama has developed his signature motif “Quick Turn Structure (QTS)” across various mediums. Central to his practice is painting, in which Oyama employs the layered application of aerosol paint to create geometric yet fluid lines that evolve into abstract forms of QTS, critically exploring the interplay between space and time as reflections of his physical movements. His continuous reworking of creative methods and the composition of visual idioms aligns with his thought processes, which negotiate multiple geo-historical temporalities.

In this exhibition, Oyama delves into the conceptual underpinnings of his practice, questioning the very nature of abstraction through a focus on the idea of ‘extraction’ as a counterpoint. While abstraction often implies a metaphysical sublimation of the original source, ‘extraction’ suggests engaging contextually with elements drawn from the source material in a way that reconstitutes them, maintaining a connection to the original while rearranging them into new semantic associations. This idea also parallels the distinction in academic writing between an abstract, which provides a broad summary, and an extract, which offers precise quotations from a text. In Oyama’s paintings, letter forms are broken down into elements to be recomposed as QTS in the foreground, while in the background, curves and layered shapes are drawn using aerosol paint, ink, and tools such as sponges and scrubbing brushes. This method emphasizes the artist’s physical movements through mark-making, where the acts of spraying and smearing both conceal and reveal layers, generating a complex interaction between abstraction and gesture.

The intensity of ink expression in the background visually evokes the tradition of East Asian calligraphy, a historical connection Oyama further hones by emphasizing ‘stroke order’ as a more physical foundation of writing in general. Stroke order serves as a standardized sequence that enables repetition, and as the motion of writing is repeated over time, the letter forms gradually unravel, transforming into free-flowing lines that seem to stretch into the realms of audio and moving image. In Oyama’s work, the industrial matière of aerosol paint, improvisational calligraphic gestures of ink, and contemplative process of abstraction—each with its deliberate deconstruction of form—converge to weave a multifaceted dialogue between continuity and change, spontaneity and control. His exploration of ‘extraction’ as a conceptual tool invites viewers to reflect on the interconnectedness of global artistic practices, resonating with the plurality of modernisms and forms of abstractions that transcend geographical, contextual, and disciplinary boundaries.

Enrico Isamu Oyama’s solo exhibition Abstractions / Extractions will be on view from Saturday, October 19 to Saturday, November 30.

Takuro Someya Contemporary Art

Enrico Isamu Oyama

Enrico Isamu Oyama (b.1983, Italian / Japanese) creates visual art in various mediums with Quick Turn Structure; the black and white motif composed of spontaneous repetition and expansion of free-flowing lines extracted from the visual language of aerosol writing, the core genre of contemporary street art that originates in 1970’s-80’s New York. After attending MFA at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2007-09, he named the motif Quick Turn Structure, and has positioned his practice in the midst of contemporary art and street culture. Oyama stayed in New York for 6 months in 2011-2012 as a grantee of Asian Cultural Council and went on to live and work in Brooklyn during the 2010s. Oyama held solo exhibitions internationally at institutions including Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (London), Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art (Kansas), Pola Museum of Art (Hakone), Nakamura Keith Haring Collection (Yamanashi), Tower 49 Gallery (New York), Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery (Yokohama) and Keio Museum Commons (Tokyo). Since 2020, Oyama works in 2 studios in New York and Tokyo back and forth.

www.enricoisamuoyama.net

[Exhibition Details]

Enrico Isamu Oyama｜Abstractions / Extractions

Exhibition Period: Saturday, October 19 – Saturday, November 30, 2024
Reception: October 19, 3pm – 6pm *Artist will be in attendance
Open: Tues – Sat 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closed: Sun, Mon, and National Holidays
Location: Takuro Someya Contemporary Art
TSCA 3F TERRADA Art Complex I 1-33-10 Higashi-Shinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 140-0002
TEL 03-6712-9887 ｜FAX 03-4578-0318 ｜E-MAIL: gallery@tsca.jp