YOD Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition, "transFLAT", by Ken Kagajo that will be held from 15th January to 12th February 2010.

Ken Kagajo represents abstract expression with bold forms and colours in the use of discharge technique, in which he expresses his physical movement and sensibility remaining monotone lines and bands on the surface, and of dyeing technique, in which he manipulates accidental fusion and collision of lively colours squeezed onto the surface. He expresses his unique paintings executed in a different way from general paintings and energetically keep challenging against canvas works which is considered to be definitive.

Kagajo first exhibited his new series, "Veil", in the early 2010. The characteristic of "Veil" series is a painting action with binder resin on clothes that has been already executed in discharge or dyeing techniques. He has begun to raise an issue on what the nature of painting is to express three-dimensional space on the "flat".

Generally, "Superflat" is defined by Takashi Murakami to refer to various flattened forms inherited in Japan from Ukiyoe in the Edo period to graphic art, animation and pop culture in the contemporary period. It is the representative issue on "flatness" of painting considered to be the Japanese characteristic of expression and denial of the perspective derived from the West.

On the other hand, Kagajo defines his "flat painting" in the use of discharge and dyeing techniques as perfect 2-dimensional painting concluded in the physical point of view. Making another approach from the subject by Murakami, Kagajo had just persisted in expressing entirely physical 2-dimensional paintings in the use of only optical changes against general paintings provided with collage or thickness of paint compromising with physical 3-dimension. Through the contradiction arisen by retouching a painting on his completed "flat" execution in the new stage of "Veil" series, he investigates the notion of "flatness" of painting that has been historically overlooked.