deep sea fish

Ahn Taewon

JAN 25, 2025 - APR 16, 2025

DIESEL ART GALLERY will present "People Have The Power" a solo exhibition by artist Nanae Mitobe from May 18th (Sat) to July 3rd (Wed), 2024.

“People Have The Power” is the 5th installment in Nanae Mitobe's popular series of exhibitions featuring works inspired by rock stars and musicians. Previous exhibitions titled "Rock is Dead", "War is not over", "Let's Have a Dream!" and "Sit-In" have focused on rock symbolism and the power of music.

“People Have The Power” will provide viewers with an opportunity to engage in deep thought about the power of individual people, the power of the collective, and the role art and music can play in social change.

In addition to the display and sale of new art, T-shirts and related goods produced in collaboration with DIESEL will be on sale at this exhibition.

CONCEPT

The stars who have departed this world are often revisited and reconsidered in the news and social issues as eras change. Even absolute or universal authorities, norms, and doctrines shift. Since the rise of BLM, topics like gender, various races, and colonial history among minorities have become significant for Mitobe, who has always portrayed portraits.

In "People Have The Power", figures who fought against the Vietnam War, black discrimination, societal biases, and those who left significant marks in the pursuit of peace will emerge. Many of the works depicting these fighters indirectly portray images of media stars or celebrities, rather than directly drawing faces seen in the media. Thus, motifs as replicas through the media, such as magazine covers or record jackets, are depicted.

The venue is structured in red, symbolizing struggle and passion, with Mitobe directly applying "graffiti-like" paintings, creating an atmosphere intersecting Shibuya's street culture.

Installation pieces featuring DJ booths express nonviolent fights through music and art, scattering records and instruments, evoking scenes of fights or conflicts. While conveying dire situations at times, they can also carry positive messages standing with resisting individuals.

Redefining the Act of "Seeing"

Ann Tehwon's First Solo Exhibition in Japan, "deep sea fish"

DIESEL ART GALLERY will host "deep sea fish," the first solo exhibition in Japan by Seoul-based artist Ahn Taewon, from January 25 (Saturday) to April 16 (Wednesday), 2025. The exhibition will be curated by the gallery CON_ based in Bakurocho, Nihonbashi.

Ahn Taewon is based in Seoul, creating paintings and sculptures that resemble intermediations between reality and the virtual by distorting three-dimensional models in peculiar ways, inspired by memes in image formats.

His works reflect new visual languages developed through social media and the internet, as well as errors in image processing. These pieces, like his series featuring cats, possess the potential to become memes themselves and circulate widely. In recent years, he has been actively exhibiting his work, including “PPURI” (P21) in 2024, “Liminal Room” (Plan X Gallery) in 2023, and “Postmodern Children” (Busan Museum of Contemporary Art) in 2022.

The exhibition “deep sea fish” draws parallels between deep-sea fish, whose eyesight has degenerated as they adapted to extreme environments, and modern humans who spend their days staring at PC and smartphone screens. It highlights how the concept of “seeing” has fundamentally changed.

Unlike the rationality of one-point perspective, the completely flat, creatures peeking out from an incomprehensible system appear distorted to us.

This distortion could be seen as either a functional error of the eye or a cognitive mistake, making us realize we are living in a new environment where the distinction between two-dimensional and three-dimensional, virtual and real, has blurred. If you wish to return to a nostalgic past, it is recommended to turn off your devices. The face that emerges from the pitch-black screen may reveal what reality truly is.

This exhibition will feature new works available for viewing and purchase, along with limited edition merchandise created specifically for the exhibition. There will also be collaborative T-shirts with DIESEL available for purchase.

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BIOGRAPHY

Ahn Taewon

https://www.instagram.com/ppuri_

Ahn Taewon (b. 1993) explores expression through sensation. He sensitively reacts to the pervasive exploitative aspects of modern technology, feeling a loss of control, and learns methods to physically handle virtual and real without distinction. Ahn primarily creates images through painting and sculpture. His inner creative drive is fueled by environments given, chance discoveries, unused objects left still, and unexpectedly encountered situations, forming companionate communication relationships. Like anyone else, he often recalls psychologically close subjects, such as the proximity to his cat, fragments of time posted on Instagram, ambiguous faces in memory, and more. His approach to creating artwork begins with a determination not to miss these moments. Ahn Taewon majored in Western painting at Chung-Ang University. Recent exhibitions include Condo London at Project Native Informant, 2024, Liminal Room at Plan X Gallery, 2023, and Postmodern Children at the Busan Museum of Modern Art, 2022, among others.

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VIEW ARTWORKS

©Ahn Taewon

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DIESEL × Ahn Taewon

In commemoration of the exhibition “deep sea fish”, DIESEL and Ahn Taewon collaborative T-shirts will be on sale.

Color : White / Black
Size : XS / S / M / L / XL / XXL
Release date: 2025.1.25(Sat)
Price: ¥15,400 (tax included)
Retailer: DIESEL SHIBUYA, DIESEL Official online store

* The image is for illustrative purposes only. The design and specifications may differ from the actual product in some cases.
*Release dates may change. Please check the official website or X for the latest information.

¥15,400 (tax included)

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EXHIBITION GOODS

Exhibition Limited Post Card Set will be available at the gallery and online.

ONLINE STORE

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CURATION

CON_

https://www.contokyo.com

https://www.instagram.com/con_tokyo_

CON_ opened its doors in April 2022 on the East side of Tokyo, Japan. With a focus on visuality and concept, the gallery’s program crosses various expressive cultures, including contemporary art. As part of rethinking and reshaping Tokyo’s urban culture, CON_ seeks to reconsider contemporary art, music, and other expressive activities as crucial organic movements. By organizing programs born from research and dialogue with artists, the gallery continues to build new contexts taken from contemporaneousness.CON_ opened its doors in April 2022 on the East side of Tokyo, Japan. With a focus on visuality and concept, the gallery’s program crosses various expressive cultures, including contemporary art. As part of rethinking and reshaping Tokyo’s urban culture, CON_ seeks to reconsider contemporary art, music, and other expressive activities as crucial organic movements. By organizing programs born from research and dialogue with artists, the gallery continues to build new contexts taken from contemporaneousness.

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