YUKYO YAMAMOTO – Artist of ○○○○ yen –

【SHIHODO GALLERY GINZA】
11th May. (Wed.) – 25th May.(Wed.)
10am – 7pm (Close Sun)
6-4-7-1,2F Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

【SHIHODO GALLERY OSAKA】
11th May. (Wed.) – 25th May.(Wed.)
10am – 6pm (Close Sun)
3-4-9-1F, Hirano-cho Chuo-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka

SHIHODO Gallery will exhibit the Japanese master’s oil paintings and the portraits of these masters created by Yukyo Yamamoto.
This exhibition is a new attempt to highlight the correlation between the works and “price,” a measure of a work’s value, through frottage using a familiar Japanese one-yen coin. We hope you will enjoy it.

It is difficult to discern whether a work of art is good or bad, or superior or inferior, but when it comes to pricing, there is a stark difference between high and low. In Japan, living artists' works are often priced in increments of 10,000 yen per "go" (canvas size units), as though the numbers were to announce each artists' combat power.

At Shihodo Gallery, which has a main focus on modern yōga, you will often see works by museum-class masters adorning the walls. The major difference is that here, the works are priced and are available for purchase.
When on occasion my works are displayed among these masterpieces, the difference in prices is so obvious that I feel I have as much combat power as an earthling stared down by Feeza; a flick of the finger from one of these masters would knock me off my feet with ease.

What is interesting about art is that the works of established master artists and the works of artists like myself, who are only at the starting line of creating value, stand side by side on even platforms. On the other hand, it is undeniable that the difference in price affects how works are beheld. For a philistine like me, it can be a challenge to consider an artwork objectively if the price is known beforehand.

In ¥10000 Artists, my works -portraits of master artists depicted with frottages of one yen coins- are displayed alongside the actual works by the masters I have portrayed. The sizes of the portraits are based on the prices of each of the masters' works - the more expensive their works are, the larger and clearer the image, while in my case for example, the image becomes smaller and indistinct. The number of coins used varies according to the size as well, which is reflected in the numbers in the titles such as “xxxxx yen artist”.

I invite you to experience this space where the difference in artists’ work-prices is directly revealed in the presence of their portraits, and at the same time enjoy the masterpieces on the walls as well.


Yukyo Yamamoto