The Mythenstein Project proudly presents "Rainbow," a solo project by the celebrated artist Etsu Egami. This exhibition, spanning nearly a year, showcases Egami's unique exploration of communication through her dynamic and visually compelling paintings.
Etsu Egami Solo Project "Rainbow"
Etsu Egami Solo Project "Rainbow"
Etsu Egami Solo Project "Rainbow"
About the Artist
Born in Tokyo in 1994, Etsu Egami has lived and studied across Asia, the United States, and Europe. These experiences exposed her to diverse cultural and linguistic environments, fostering a deep skepticism and curiosity about the reliability of both linguistic and visual communication. This fundamental questioning underpins her artistic practice, which navigates the delicate balance between figuration and abstraction.
Egami's distinctive visual language began to take shape during her high school years, influenced by the contrasts she observed between Taishō and Shōwa period Japanese painters, like Ryusei Kishida, who looked to Europe for inspiration, and the traditionalist Nihonga artists.
In 2012, Egami moved to Beijing to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where she earned her B.F.A. in 2016. She then pursued media art at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design in Germany, before returning to CAFA to complete her M.F.A. in 2019. Her academic journey culminated in a doctorate and a post-doctoral position at the Wu Guanzhong Research Center at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Etsu Egami was shortlisted as one of Forbes Asia 30 UNDER 30 in 2020, and has exhibited in museums and galleries across Asia, including "Oriental Mystery*, HOW ART MUSEUM, Shanghai (2023); "Etsu Egami", Whitestone Gallery Singapore, Singapore (2023; "Etsu Egami: Obsession and Question, New Horizons of Modern Painting”, Hiroshima Wood One Museum (2022); “Rainbow”, Tang Contemporary Art, Seoul (2022); “You Laugh, You Lose – Etsu Egami’s eyes on modernity”, New Art Lab, Tokyo (2022); "Venus Code", A2Z PARIS (2022); “Etsu Egami: Rainbow”, Whitestone Gallery Karuizawa, Japan (2022); “Etsu Egami: In a Moment of Misunderstanding, All the Masks Fall”, Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing (2021); "Entrance gallery Vol.1 EGAMI Etsu", Chiba City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan (2020); "UNSCHEDULED", Taikwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2020); The 2nd Beijing International Media Art Biennale “Post Life”, CAFAM, Beijing (2018); "Into the light....", β Project Space, ZKM (Center for Art and Media), Karlsruhe (2017); "God's voice, human's words?", DEHAIRI projects, Tokyo (2016).
Art transcends language, offering an aesthetic experience that communicates on a profound, often wordless level. Etsu Egami's work delves into the margins of understanding, exploring the points where communication falters and forms become illegible. Her rough calligraphic style and use of almost translucent oil paints create spectral faces and abstract forms that flicker between figuration and abstraction.
Egami views painting as a physical and performative act, with the brush as an extension of her body. This rhythmic motion brings her artworks to life, inviting viewers to join in a dance of light and color. Her new catalogue, gathering her most outstanding works, invites audiences to experience this dance, transcending barriers to understanding and speaking directly to the senses.
Etsu Egami: Rainbow
Date: 5 June 2024 - 18 April 2025
Place: The Mythenstein Project, c/o ZWEI Wealth, Genferstrasse 35, CH-8002 Zürich
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