"SEIMEISANKA - Self Love for World Peace"
Saori Kanda Solo Exhibition

July 5th (Friday) – July 15th (Monday), 2024

Exhibition Information

Venue

YUGEN Gallery
KD Minami Aoyama Building 4F, 3-1-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Dates

July 5th (Friday) – July 15th (Monday), 2024

Opening Hours

Weekdays: 13:00-19:00
Weekends and holidays: 13:00-20:00
*Ends at 17:00 on the final day only

Closed Days

None

Reception

July 5th (Fri) Limited Preview for invited guests only July 6th (Sat) 16:00~ Opening Ceremony "Self Love For World Peace"
*No reservations required

Date of presence

Every day during the exhibition period. *Visitor availability days may change. Please see the pinned post on the gallery’sInstagramfor the latest information

Admission Fee

free

others

※7月5日(金)は招待客のみの限定プレビューとなります。
※7月6日(土)はオープニングセレモニー開始に伴い、16時開場となります 。
※状況により、会期・開館時間が予告なく変更となる場合がございますのでご了承下さい。

Exhibited works images

アメリカ・NYCのNIPPON Galleryで行われた個展 「 Self Love For World Peace 」での様子（Photo : Jake Price）
アメリカ・NYCのNIPPON Galleryで行われた個展 「 Self Love For World Peace 」での様子（Photo : Jake Price）
《Self Love For World Peace / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Woody Little）
《Self Love For World Peace / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Woody Little）
《御神器 Sacred Eros “ 生命讃歌
《御神器 Sacred Eros “ 生命讃歌 " / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）
《御神器 Dragon ∞ Goddess Harmony 01 / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）
《御神器 Dragon ∞ Goddess Harmony 01 / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

Photo: Yoshiyasu Shimo

*Please note that some of the exhibited works may be subject to change.

About SAORIKANDA's Birthday Celebration and Opening Ceremony

For more information

Original goods giveaway! About visitor registration

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Statement

We live to share love

Saori Kanda is a contemporary artist whose work focuses on the theme of "liberation of the joy of the soul." As a "dancing artist" who combines his artistic style with dance, he has participated in art festivals around the world, including in France, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, and India. He is also actively collaborating across genres with film directors, musicians, fashion designers, chefs, and architects. Last year he had a successful solo exhibition in New York, USA, and his reputation around the world is only growing.

The motif is the harmony of the dragon and the goddess.

The theme that has emerged since around 2022 is "Harmony of the Dragon and the Goddess." The motif of the dragon is a symbol of masculinity, and the goddess is a symbol of femininity, and everyone has these two extremes hidden within their hearts. The exhibition "Hymn of Life - Self Love For World Peace" brings together works that aim to achieve harmony between the two extremes and express the life energy that surges forth from there. This will be the first solo exhibition at YUGEN Gallery in two years.

In the live painting for the exhibition "Self Love For World Peace" held in New York, Kanda performed abstract paintings in which large petals filled the world in a variety of colors, starting with red, which Kanda considers "the color of life," and blue, which he says "feels connected to the universe." Kanda's performance and works, which conveyed his vibrant spirit and the vitality of human beings, were highly praised locally.

This exhibition will feature approximately 15 new pieces, including works with dragon and goddess motifs, as well as live paintings that were highly praised in New York. The highlight is the white porcelain series, created with the cooperation of ceramic artists Hirotake Iida and Kaori Kawashima. These are Kanda's first three-dimensional works, in which he painted ceramic vases and large plates with lapis lazuli and gold paint. In addition, he will also present intricate drawings.

In addition to a live performance, the opening will feature the first screening of a documentary film that followed her solo exhibition in New York. This exhibition will also feature a limited edition collection of her Dragon and Goddess series, which is expressed using a variety of techniques. Saori Kanda's new challenge creates a time and space filled with the joy of life.

Delicacy and strength

All of us

Happy, sad, feeling good

All of us

Don't ignore any feelings

I want you to feel it properly

If I close my heart, I might feel better and won't get hurt

But I can no longer feel "love"

To love yourself deeply

To be kind to yourself no matter what

Embracing both darkness and light

It takes courage, though.

I gradually become more connected to my inner self.

My heart is opening up more and more

The things that were tightly defended are loosened

I can hear the honest voice of my soul

The vitality comes out

Self-love is not the same as selfish

Self-love is returning to the source of love

Remember that there is a source of love within you

Overflowing with love

If you share it with the person next to you,

Soon love will spread throughout the world

As Einstein left us

Love is the most precious, powerful and infinite energy in the universe.

Expressing overflowing joy with your whole body

I want to share

Self-love becomes a vibration and spreads to the world

"These past two years have forced me to seriously consider what it means to live my life. From there, I have come to realize that my work is a reflection of my life itself, and it has become a time for me to learn to love myself more deeply."

For Kanda, a white canvas is "a place of healing where the soul rejoices." Everyone has their own sacred temple in their heart, and the white porcelain ware to be unveiled this time is inspired by the sacred objects offered there. Kanda says that his singing, dancing, and painting as a dance artist are "a way to return to one's own sacred space," and they awaken self-love, or the vitality of human beings.

"When harmony is created in music or colors, it transcends thought and brightens the heart. The image of the harmony between the masculine and feminine that we all possess is the color of the rainbow."

A dragon and a goddess dancing in a circle. The rainbow colors that bless them and paint the air. Saori Kanda's work depicts self-love overflowing from her heart as if it were raining down on the world, revealing that we humans live to share love.

*This refers to a reference to the energy of love that Albert Einstein left behind in some 1,400 letters to his daughter Liesel Einstein.

About sales of artworks

At the same time as the exhibition, the works will be available to view and purchase on the YUGEN Gallery official online store.

ARTIST INTERVIEW

An exclusive interview article with Saori Kanda has been published.

ARTIST INTERVIEW - Saori Kanda "Spiritual art that resonates with the times"

A contemporary artist who combines dance and painting as an "dance artist" active around the world in countries including France, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, and India.

The motif of the dragon is a symbol of masculinity, and the goddess is a symbol of femininity, and everyone has these two extremes hidden within their hearts. Aiming for harmony between the two extremes, the exhibition "Sanka of Life - Self Love For World Peace" brings together works that express the life energy that surges forth from them. Saori Kanda aims to create "art that delights the soul." We asked her about the message that is conveyed in her works.

SAORI KANDA
SAORI KANDA
SAORI KANDA
Contemporary artist. Her work as a "dance artist," a unique ceremony art performer that involves various expressions such as sound, dance, clothing, fragrance, and food to satisfy the five senses, has been recognized as a performing art, and she has been invited to perform in various parts of the world, including China, Europe, the United States, Kazakhstan, and India. In 2020, she started a series of works with the themes of "Goddess Blossoming" and "Liberation of Sacred Eros." Her works incorporate the importance of facing "sex" as a source of life in the view of life and death, and loving oneself again. She has collaborated with many companies, including NISSAN, Canon, and ALFA ROMEO. Her previous solo exhibitions include the Okaya Museum of Art and Archaeology (2023) and NIPPON GALLERY in New York (2023).
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