Michaël Borremans: The Advantage
January 11 (Saturday) – March 30 (Sunday), 2014
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
On Saturday, January 11, a solo exhibition by Michaël Borremans opened at the Hara Museum. As one of Belgium’s leading artists, Borremans uses techniques rooted in the classical Western tradition to create paintings that are exceedingly contemporary in content. So captivating are his works that they have become a focus of intense worldwide interest.
The installation of the show began at the start of the year and was completed by Friday, January 10. On that day, a preview and a press conference were held, at which time the artist made the following comments (edited here for brevity).
“It was five years ago that I first had the idea of showing at the Hara, a place that I found appealing, the architecture and its rooms. I always prefer not to show too much, so this place is a very good place to do that. I always prefer to see art in buildings not originally conceived as a museum at first, but turned into one at a later point.″
“In the old days, historical painting was used to document things in the way photography does today. Now we have better media to do this. So in my opinion, painting has been freed from this function. Painting can now be used to only represent the imagination. It has becomes super interesting as a result. I think it can have a big role to play especially in a world with a lot of image everywhere. It becomes attractive because it slows down an image, allowing you to look at in a different way. In my work, I try to create some kind of conflict that cannot be solved, that makes it impossible to define the work. The works are mentally alive for that reason. It stays there.″
″I like to put opposing elements into my work (that is, elements that are both comfortable and uncomfortable).″
Borremans spoke about his custom of wearing suits while working. One day, he went into his studio wearing a suit and started to paint. The suit created a kind of tension that helped him work better, and so he decided to wear suits from then on. During Borremans’s visit, he invariably wore a suit. The clothes do indeed suit the man.
After the press conference, an opening reception was held. It was well attended by Hara Museum members and other related persons. Seen here from the left are Michaël Borremans, Hara Museum director Toshio Hara and the Belgian Ambassador to Japan His Excellency Mr. Luc Liebaut. For the toast, guests lifted glasses of Belgian beer provided by the Belgian Embassy.
The sculpture garden lit up during the reception.
Automat (3) , 2008 oil on wood 24.4 x 18 cm ©Michaël Borremans
Courtesy of Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp and Gallery Koyanagi Collection of The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Michaël Borremans: The Advantage will be on until Sunday, March 30. During the exhibition, the documentary A Knife in the Eye will be screened every Wednesday evening.
Photos by Keizo Kioku