19 Nov Vines・Landscapes—Saori Hasegawa’s Solo Exhibition
Landscape painting, as an art form that integrates natural or cultural scenery into pictorial elements, has a long and rich history in both Eastern and Western cultures. Scholars like Kenneth Clark have considered these works as ways of observing nature, highlighting the underlying sociological structures they reflect throughout history. In reality, landscape painting is far more than a simple depiction of natural scenes. The choice of subjects, composition, and specific styles or techniques used by artists often reflect the influence of their era and their own aesthetic philosophy, allowing the works to present both a broad perspective and a nuanced reflection on nature.
However, as technological advances continue and urban spaces expand, the relationship between humans and nature has gradually become more distant, giving landscape painting a contemporary significance different from the past. Saori Hasegawa, who specialized in fine arts research at Tama Art University, explores the essence of our everyday “landscapes” through the lenses of observation, existence, and time. Her series “Nowhere” focuses on fleeting scenes that often escape notice in our hurried lives, revealing their contemporary relevance.
Saori Hasegawa’s first solo exhibition in Taiwan, Vines・Landscapes, showcases the deepening of her artistic exploration. Her images, focused on scenes from nature, emphasize the delineation of the thresholds of awareness—those small, familiar moments from everyday life that the artist captures to awaken the viewer’s perception. Through these works, she invites the audience to reassess their own perspectives and rediscover the world around them.
In “Vines & Landscapes,” Hasegawa intertwines plants (vines) and scenery (landscapes) into a symbiotic relationship. Unlike many artists who use aerial perspective to emphasize depth and hierarchy, Hasegawa believes that every element, even those often overlooked, should stand as an independent presence. Thus, she deliberately abandons traditional perspective techniques, instead employing crisp delineations and vivid colors to depict distant scenes. While her imagery is rooted in everyday reality, the use of intensely saturated hues creates a dreamlike atmosphere with striking visual impact.
Hasegawa emphasizes that her landscapes capture both a familiar yet often overlooked aspect of the real world, one intimately connected to everyday life. Her unique approach to depicting scenery and objects reveals a distinctive understanding, with her artwork’s special perspectives and rich emotion reigniting awareness of the overlooked and injecting new vitality into contemporary landscape painting.
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Vines．Landscapes — Saori Hasegawa’s Solo Exhibition
Period｜2024.12.07-2025.02.15
Opening reception｜2024.12.07 15:00
Venue｜1F., No. 222, Shidong Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei
Tel｜+886-2-28310558