LURF GALLERY is pleased to announce the group exhibition "Idea and Execution" on the second floor.
This is a group exhibition featuring five artists who all have ties to Tokyo University of the Arts (Graduate School), but who each work from different generations, with different perspectives and techniques.
One of the themes of the exhibition is to focus on two approaches: artists who start their work from an idea, and artists who start their work from execution, and to examine how these differences are reflected in the work.
These differences in approach are not merely differences in production methods, but are deeply connected to the artists' thoughts, sensibilities, and even modes of expression.
It is our sincere hope that viewers will be able to freely immerse themselves in this diverse range of expression, and that by engaging with the works, they will be able to feel and discover something new from each piece. The exhibition will run from Friday, June 27th to Sunday, July 27th, 2025.

Exhibition overview

Group Exhibition "Idea and Execution"

Period｜Friday, June 27th, 2025 to Sunday, July 27th, 2025
Venue | LURF GALLERY 2F
Time｜11:00 - 19:00
Address: Roob1, 28-13 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0033
Artists: Naohiro Ueda, Masahiro Masuda, Kana Minari, Yuichi Shiroma, Aoi Kaneko. With the cooperation of ALPHA ET OMEGA.

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"Idea" and "Execution"

In a short essay entitled "The Doubts of Cézanne," published in 1945, just before the end of the war, philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty contains the intriguing sentence, "'Idea' cannot precede 'action.'" While looking at the works of the participating artists in this exhibition, who are from a diverse range of generations and interests, these words of Merleau-Ponty came to mind. Why? Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that (it seemed to me) the practices of the five artists -- Ueda Naohiro, Masuda Masahiro, Minari Kana, Shiroma Yuichi, and Kaneko Aoi -- are (relatively) clearly divided into those that begin with a clear "idea (concept)" and, in contrast, those that begin with bold "action (action)."

I personally do not necessarily agree with the opinion that "'conception' cannot precede 'action.'" That said, this exhibition, which at first glance does not appear to have a clearly curated, unifying theme, may be a rare opportunity to reflect on the bipolarity of "conception and action," which is alongside, and perhaps even beyond, fundamental binary oppositions surrounding art such as "representation and abstraction," "two-dimensional and three-dimensional," and "material and immaterial." That's what I thought.

Continuing from the above quote, Merleau-Ponty continues: "Prior to expression there is only a vague enthusiasm, and only the completed and understood work will bear witness that we should find something rather than nothing" (Merleau-Ponty, Sense and Meaninglessness, translated by Takiura Shizuo, Awazu Norio, Kida Hajime, and Ebisaka Takeshi, 1983, Misuzu Shobo, p. 24). There is no doubt that the artists participating in this exhibition all possess a "vague enthusiasm" about their artistic practice. And it is also certain that viewers will discover "something" in their works.

Whether it begins with an idea or execution, we find something in the works created by these five artists. However, it is extremely difficult to capture that "something" in words beforehand. Therefore, we hope that viewers will simply stand in front of these works and first feel something.

Hiroki Yamamoto (cultural researcher)

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Installation Views

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Artworks

Naohiro Ueda

Masahiro Masuda

Kana Minari

Yuichi Shiroma

Aoi Kaneko

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Artist Profile