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Reinhardt
Sobye
The
prevailing attitude in modern culture is that every
individual is a world in his/her own right, a world
from which all other's are excluded. This is a major
lie. The truth is that we are each other's world and
each other's destiny. Under normal circumstances,
encounters between people are characterized by trust
because we rely on people telling us the truth, that
they take us seriously and that they wish us no harm.
This is crucial to human existence. If we accept this
fact, we can choose between taking care of another
person's life or destroying it. This presupposes an
ability to feel remorse, since ethics cannot be based
on rational considerations. Without a capacity to
understand another person's situation and without
an ethical statement of belief and humility, we will
exist as psychopaths and sociopaths and hell will
manifest itself.
"Art is a messenger, not the message. Art is
a bridge between our own limited biological lifespan
and the archetypal universe of ethics, serenity and
eternity. If art cannot touch you, transform you....
it is not art, but sheer entertainment or a common
lie. Art should render the ocean so that you notice
the salty taste of your own blood."
Correspondent Akutagawa's: "Let's Go to the Exhibition."
Reinhardt Sobye "The Dark Forest," Exhibition
in Japan
"I have been visiting exhibitions, with a focus
on art exhibitions, for three years and three months.
I could write only a little in these columns among
the exhibitions which I actually visited. This time
I review what I really thought when I walked and looked
around the exhibition. I think I have explored the
matter of human beings, not only art itself. Japan
is a highly civilized society. Everybody makes good
use of complicated equipment and there is a lot of
information in everyday life. However, it does not
mean that we have become wiser. We dismiss the fact
that we live with others, forget caring for others,
lose the sense of humility and don't feel embarrassed
to pursue personal interests and comfort. I think
it is rare in our history that people have so little
interest in others. If you do not understand what
I really wish to tell you, for example, please see
Reinhardt Sobye's exhibition which is being held now.
He has exhibited his works at a gallery in Tokyo for
the last twelve years and made a major impact. He
turns fifty this year and this is his 8th exhibition
in Japan.
Sobye's works create his characteristic world of realism.
He captures realistic portraits of sick people, elderly
people, army deserters, displaced people because of
war and the like, and as a background paints a harsh
environment where human beings live. He has eyes to
see quietly and deeply and show up discrimination,
destruction, disguise and human's presumption- all
done in the name of civilization. In the series of
new works, Sobye paints the devastation creeping into
poetic landscapes. There is restlessness in the bottom
of the space, which lets you foresee that something
strange may happen. Children are there unguarded.
Where do the lights lead us? The pictures are full
of strange lights. It is different from the light
shining into the picture. It seems that the picture
is a luminance itself. He also portrays more cruel
devastation caused by human beings. Sobye focuses
on the future of humanity. He cares about others and
neighbor's. He used to paint in gouache or draw with
crayons. Recently he processes various parts of the
pictures with a computer, adds images by hand and
creates more flexible images. Sobye visited Japan
once seven years ago and then said, "Japanese
people have human sensibility and intelligence."
Do we still have them? "DonŐt lose hope."
I feel like I hear his low voice."
Text by Kiyoshi Akutagawa
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