Kawaguchi Tatsuo DARK BOX 2009 2009

Emptiness itself has no shape. It is perceived only when contrasted with something tangible. People would feel emptiness in such conditions as a room without any furniture, unoccupied ground between buildings, or absence of an object that had been there. The absence of things paradoxically raises questions about the mystery of being. Emptiness does not mean absolute nothingness. Rather, it calls our attention to faint sounds and signs that usually escape our notice, raising our expectations for events to happen the next moment. In that sense, it can be said that emptiness is filled with possibilities of generating something new.
Artists are not likely to miss the fascination of emptiness. Various attempts have included: monochrome paintings presenting no image; drawings showing erasures made by erasers; sculptures embracing hollows; and images with negative-positive reversal. Presenting 27 pieces including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures, this exhibition tries to explore the diverse meanings that flow into the vessel of “expressed emptiness.”