GALLERY TARGET in Omotesando will be hosting a solo exhibition by Undercover designer Jun Takahashi, titled "THEY CAN SEE MORE THAN YOU CAN SEE."

The exhibition's focus is oil painting, a practice Jun Takahashi began in 2013. Self-taught, he continued painting in his spare time from his extremely busy work schedule, becoming fascinated by the freedom of expression he could achieve, from selecting a motif to completing it all by himself. His primary subjects are portraits of musicians and actors who have had a major impact on his life.

Courtesy of Pred PR
While his repeated paintings steadily improved his technique and his precision in depicting motifs, he began to feel something lacking, contradictory to this. It was during this time that he began work on a portrait of a musician he admired. He was pleased with the finished product, but was not satisfied, so he tried to repaint the portrait's eyes, closing them out. When he faced the portrait again some time later, he grasped that "something" that had been bothering him.

With no particular intention of exhibiting it, the oil painting was merely a hobby. However, this work, which he finally arrived at after repeated experimentation and harmony, embodies the "perverse beauty" that he has continued to express throughout his career, something that cannot be felt in perfection or completeness.

Courtesy of Pred PR
Takahashi, who found fragments of his own aesthetic sensibility in oil paintings, continued to paint people who influenced him. His oil paintings, unseen by anyone, continued to evolve as "eyeless portraits." In his latest series, the figures—including works in which the frames themselves are decorated with silk tulle to blur the figures, and works depicting the inner stories of the subjects—seem like outlines that accentuate the artist's engrossed, beautiful worldview.

Takahashi Jun's new creative expression will be unveiled in the scorching heat of Tokyo. Approximately 30 works will be exhibited, including bronze sculptures, centered around the oil paintings from the "Portrait Series," which will be shown for the first time.





Jun Takahashi
Fashion designer, artist

Born in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture in September 1969.
April 1988: Enrolled at Bunka Fashion College.
1990: While attending the school, started the fashion brand "UNDERCOVER" with a friend.
March 1991: Graduated from the school's Apparel Design Department.
April 1994: His first collection, the 1994-1995 Autumn/Winter collection, was presented in the form of a show in Tokyo.
September 1994: Undercover Ltd. was established.
September 1997: Received the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix Newcomer Award from the Mainichi Shimbun.
January 2000: Undercover Ltd. became Undercover Co., Ltd.
September 2001: Received the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix from the Mainichi Shimbun.
October 2002: First participated in Paris Women's Fashion Week with the 2003 Spring/Summer collection.
June 2009: Participated as a guest designer at the 76th Pitti Immagine Uomo, and presented his first men's collection in the form of a show with the 2010 Spring/Summer collection.
October 2010: Collaborated with Nike to launch the performance running collection "GYAKUSOU" for the 2010 Fall/Holiday season. March 2012: Launched the family collection "UU" in Spring/Summer 2012 through a limited-time collaboration with Uniqlo.
March 2013: Launched the second lines "JohnUNDERCOVER" and "SueUNDERCOVER" in the Autumn/Winter 2013-14 collection.
September 2013: Received the Mainichi Fashion Award again from the Mainichi Shimbun.
October 2015: Held the self-curated retrospective "LABYRINTH OF UNDERCOVER 25-year retrospective" at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery.
June 2016: Launched the seasonless line "the Shepherd UNDERCOVER."
January 2018: Participated in the 93rd Pitti Immagine Uomo for the second time as a guest designer.
2018: Received the Mainichi Fashion Award again from the Mainichi Shimbun.
Held a joint show for the Autumn/Winter men's collection.
June 2018: Started presenting show-style collections at Paris Men's Fashion Week starting with the 2019 Spring/Summer collection.
January and February 2019: Provided graphics for Valentino's 2019-20AW men's and women's collections. For men, the same graphics were used in both the Valentino and UNDERCOVER collections, and were presented at shows held on the same day.