From July 16th to September 24th, the Utsunomiya Museum of Art will be hosting a large-scale solo exhibition by the creative unit KIGI, titled "KIGI WORK & FREE." Founded in 2012 by art and creative director Ryosuke Uehara and fellow art director and designer Yoshie Watanabe, the unit tackles universal human themes such as "time," "perception," and "circulation" head-on, elevating them with precise concepts and flexible imaginations to create free-spirited, original works. Their work includes numerous graphic designs, product designs such as D-BROS, which they worked on while employed at the design firm DRAFT, and KIKOF, which they launched in 2014 in collaboration with artisans from Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, as well as private projects that exist alongside these design endeavors. This exhibition will explore KIGI's work from two perspectives: their work (WORK) and their artwork (FREE), presenting a free-flowing and captivating worldview.

Artist talks by Uehara and Watanabe will be held on July 16th and September 23rd. Other events include "The Trigger for Design," where you can make your own original Edo wind chime strips, on August 6th (participation fee: 5,000 yen), and "Let's Make a Specimen of Time," where you can make your representative work, "Specimen of Time #001," on September 16th (participation fee: 5,000 yen) (advance registration required for all events). There will also be a concert featuring close friend Umitaro Abe on September 17th, and "Gallery Talks by the Curator in Charge" on July 29th, August 19th, and September 2nd.

【Event Information】
"KIGI WORK & FREE"
Dates: July 16th - September 24th
Venue: Utsunomiya Museum of Art
Address: 1077 Nagaoka-cho, Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture
Hours: 9:30am - 5pm (until 7pm from September 19th to 24th, last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: Adults 800 yen, high school and university students 600 yen, elementary and junior high school students 400 yen
Closed: Mondays (open on July 17th and September 18th), July 18th