

TETSUO MIZÙ: MIZÙ
Karuizawa Gallery 2, 3
March 18 - April 24, 2022
Whitestone Gallery Karuizawa is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Tetsuo Mizù, who celebrated his 50th anniversary as a painter last year.
Mizù has established his own unique world by incorporating "international maritime signal flags," which are indispensable for communication between ships, into his paintings. He was in the limelight in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s, with numerous exhibitions held in Italy, France, Spain, and other countries.
The "Flag" series combines a taste of abstract paintings with a touch of poetic sensibility. Inspiration for his outer layers, curves, and colors, which is a form of consequence in abstraction, comes from the flags fluttering in the wind on board as well as the buntings under the bright sun in Italian open squares. As for his lyricism, the artist may have been influenced by the pathos of Modigliani whom he looked up to as his mentor and Yumeji Takehisa. In addition, his matte texture, which reminds us of the design of Japanese cultural refinement such as ukiyoe and hanafuda (Japanese playing cards), cannot fail to attract the viewers’ eyes.
This exhibition will feature not only his representative "Flag" series from the 1990s and 2000s also include "Voice," the significant work in his early period that gives us a glimpse of the hitherto process of abstraction, "CORONA, ViRUS," a painting literally as a quick response to the Corona crisis in 2020, and the latest work from 2021.
We cordially invite you to come visit the vibrant world of Tetsuo Mizù.
Karuizawa Gallery
Tel: +81 (0)267 46 8691
Fax: +81 (0)267 46 8692
Opening Hours:10:00 - 17:00 (October - June),10:00 - 18:00 (July - September)
Closed: Monday
ARTIST

A ceramic mural from his Flag series, measuring 6 metres in height and 32 metres in width, is on display at the White Rink, the ice skating rink used during the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics. Additionally, Mizù created stained glass for the Church of St. Anne in Lavino, Rome, as well as a floor artwork and a monument for the event hall and the VIP hall at the Toda Speedboat Race Course, respectively. In 2009, he gained further recognition for his large-scale work from the Flag series, comprising six pieces measuring 3.5 metres, which were exhibited at a venue commemorating the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yokohama Port.