Shimomura Ryōnosuke Exhibition

Shibunkaku is proud to present an exhibition focusing on the art of Shimomura Ryōnosuke.
 
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Several years ago, in the course of a conversation with Miyanaga Rikichi-sensei the name of Shimomura Ryōnosuke came up, and suddenly his works surfaced in my mind.
 
Perhaps it is precisely now, after a passage of time, that his work may speak most powerfully to the age in which we live. This intuition forms the very starting point of the present exhibition.
 
I first encountered Shimomura-sensei through the Shintenkai, an association with which my late parents were involved, and the memory from that occasion remains vivid to this day. Sensei, also known for his great love of drink, was wearing his trademark red hat. When tea was served, he took a small flask of whisky from his pocket, poured it into the cup, and said, “This is Tchaikovsky” — a pun on tea (cha) and whisky. There was something irresistibly charming and mysterious in that free-spirited and refined gesture.
 
That effortless transcendence of conventions and established frameworks seemed to mirror the essential character of the works he created.
 
I sincerely hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity to look once again at Shimomura Ryōnosuke as the singular presence that he was, and to reconsider the true nature of his art. May it bring a renewed sense of wonder and inspiration to all who encounter it.
 
Upon reflection, it appears that I am now the only person at the gallery who had the privilege of speaking with the artist directly.
 
“Your time has come again, Sensei.”
 
With deepest respect.
 
 
Dai Tanaka
Shibunkaku
 
Shintenkai: A circle of friendship among writers, men of letters, and others, centered around Naramoto Tatsuya-sensei.