The Hiratsuka Museum of Art in Kanagawa Prefecture will be hosting "Goldfish Painter Ryusuke Fukahori: Heisei Shinchuya," a solo exhibition by Ryusuke Fukahori, whose goldfish paintings, while still vibrant and three-dimensional, run from July 7 to September 2.


This is the first major solo exhibition at a public art museum by Ryusuke Fukahori, a young contemporary artist who paints goldfish using acrylic paint on transparent resin. The exhibition will feature approximately 200 pieces, ranging from his early works to his latest installation, "Heisei Shinchuya."

Fascinated by the mysticism of goldfish, Fukahori continues to create, garnering attention for his unique and innovative technique of painting goldfish using acrylic paint on transparent resin. After graduating from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in 1995, he worked as a designer at a display company in Nagoya, but left the company in 1999 to begin full-time creative work, producing a variety of paintings and sculptures in parallel. However, he gradually began to wonder what he should do and began to lose confidence, when a turning point came that led him to start painting goldfish. This was when he noticed a goldfish still thriving in an aquarium that had been left unused for seven years, and its beauty sparked his desire to create. He calls this event of being saved by the goldfish "Goldfish Salvation," and since then he has identified himself with goldfish and pursued his own form of expression.

Goldfish Sake: Evening Boat, 2016, Private Collection
This highly original deep-horizon technique involves pouring resin into a vessel, gradually painting goldfish on its surface with acrylic paint, and then layering more resin on top. By repeating this process, the images overlap, creating an almost lifelike goldfish that approaches the viewer with an overwhelming sense of three-dimensionality. Its vibrant realism can be described as revolutionary paintings that shake up the boundaries between two-dimensional painting and three-dimensional art. This series of goldfish works has earned the artist high acclaim both in Japan and around the world. In recent years, he has also focused on live painting and installations, further expanding the scope of his expression.

《Blue Moon》 2016, Private collection
This is a full-scale solo exhibition introducing the world of Fukahori Ryusuke, featuring approximately 200 pieces, from his early three-dimensional works to his new installation "Heisei Shinchuya," which will be shown for the first time. The artist will be holding a live painting session from 2pm on July 7th. In addition, from 2pm on July 29th, he will be creating a work in public within his new installation "Heisei Shinchuya," allowing visitors to see the process of creating the work.

Workshop
On July 21st, the artist will hold a workshop called "Goldfish Ink Museum - Draw and make goldfish swim!" which is open to anyone with advance registration, from 10am, followed by a lecture at 2pm for the first 150 people.On August 11th, the artist will hold a workshop called "Let's make goldfish swim in gel candles!" which is open to elementary and junior high school students and their parents with advance registration, from 10am, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition rooms from 2pm, where the artist will explain the works.For advance registration and details of related events, please visit the website (http://www.city.hiratsuka.kanagawa.jp/art-muse/).

Enjoy the world of Fukabori Kingyo to the fullest, which is filled with a mysterious beauty and is full of three-dimensional dynamism, even though it is a painting.