En Iwamura's Totemic Figures Enchant Almine Rech Shanghai
The Japanese artist’s first presentation in China.
Fresh off a new print release with The-Art-Form, Japanese artist En Iwamura is showcasing his latest solo exhibition at Almine Rech. Housed at the gallery’s Shanghai location, Glances and Echoes presents a series of works that are partly inspired by Iwamura recently becoming a father, imbuing a sense of childlike wonder in each of his ceramic vessels and ink-based drawings.
A student of history, Iwamura revisits artistic tropes from years past to create totemic handmade busts that reference ancient Japanese craftsmanship, from the Jomon era (14,000 to 300 BCE) to the terra cotta haniwa figures from the Kofun period (300 to 538 CE). In particular, the Japanese philosophy of Ma, or the space between things, is a central pillar to Iwamura’s practice — emphasizing peacefulness and curiosity through his colorful sculptural forms, as well as invoking introspection within his audience to the objects that inundate our daily lives.
“I’m always very excited to be able to show my work for the first time in new countries and regions,” said Iwamura, regarding the first solo show of his work in China, “because I’m very interested in culture in all its diversity, I’m sincerely interested, too, in how my work will be received wherever it may be shown.”
Glances and Echoes will be on view in Shanghai until December 28, 2024.
Almine Rech
27 Huqiu Road, Floor 2,
200002 Shanghai, China
