“Contorting Forms” cleverly and engagingly combines historical works by Masakazu Horiuti – a pioneering figure in abstract sculpture in Japan – with recent works by Motohiro Tomii that feature humble, everyday objects.
Through unexpected configurations and juxtapositions, both artists are adept at expanding awareness of the formal structures that permeate our ubiquitous environment. Tomii sportingly places Horiuti’s metal Cube (line)1981, on the floor next to his chest or fried rice #8, 2023 — a concrete brick, on which four socks are delicately draped; Knocked down from its (modernist) pedestal, the oldest scratched piece of iron appears here as a kind of aged toy. by Tomii GG2019, consists of a pair of stacked bookends, positioned high on a wall as an elegant arrangement of gray metal arches, while Horiuti’s stainless steel Outside a cube1990, performs its own deconstructive critique, offering a flared open box with mirrored interior surfaces that produce complex perceptual effects as one moves around it.
Resembling a flat screen, Horiuti’s Airplane NA, 1962, offers a pleasant chocolate-hued patina, as well as two curved rectangular shapes – the size of a mobile phone – that peel off either side of the metal plate like pieces of paper. Pinned to a nearby wall, Tomii’s trio of collages—NR#12, NR#13, NR#19 (all 2016) – each simply consists of three notebook pages, arranged so that their straight lines line up. Floating in the breeze, these humble papers offer a contrasting take on Horiuti – in terms of material and manufacturing method – but with a similar goal: a renewed appreciation for the geometric systems that silently condition our daily lives..
