Tabaimo
Boundary Layer
26 May – 6 August 2010
14 Wharf Road
London N1 7RW
T +44 207 490 7373
F + 44 207 490 7775
info [at] parasol-unit.org
www.parasol-unit.org
Tabaimo is known for her skilfully drawn and disturbing animations that mix imagery from contemporary Japanese life with digital video technique. Throughout her eleven years of practice the artist has created satirical works that often comment on modern life in Japan, and in particular on the way her own generation attempts to reconcile the realities of today with traditional Japanese values. Tabaimo draws inspiration from a variety of sources, not least from the media and her own personal experience. All animations are hand-drawn by the artist and in their execution and use of colour they are perhaps inspired by traditional Japanese drawings and prints. Tabaimo’s work pulsates with a sense of immediacy that invites viewers to respond to them instinctively rather than react to them through acquired or preconceived knowledge.
The exhibition at Parasol unit is comprised of five video installations: Japanese Kitchen, 1999; hanabi-ra, 2003; guignorama, 2006; public conVENience, 2006; and yudangami, 2009.
Tabaimo, born 1975 in Hyogo, Japan, is currently based in Nagano. She graduated from the Kyoto University of Art and Design in 1999, receiving the Kirin Contemporary Award grand prize for her graduation work Japanese Kitchen. She participated in the triennial in Yokohama in 2001 and the biennials in Valencia in 2001, Sao Paulo in 2002, Sydney in 2006 and Venice in 2007. Most recently, Tabaimo has had solo exhibitions at the Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan, the James Cohan Gallery, New York, Gallery Koyanagi, Japan, and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris. Her work was included in the group exhibition Momentary Momentum: Animated Drawings at Parasol unit in 2007, which traveled to Kettle’s Yard Gallery, part of the University of Cambridge.
This exhibition at Parasol unit will be accompanied by a new publication.
This exhibition is kindly supported by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, The Japan Foundation, The Nomura Cultural Foundation, the Pola Art Foundation and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Visitor information
Gallery opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, 12 – 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
From Angel Tube station, turn left and walk down City Road for ten minutes before turning left into Wharf Road at the Texaco petrol station. From Old Street Tube station, leave via Exit 1 and walk up City Road for five minutes. Turn right into Wharf Road after passing the Texaco petrol station.
Buses 43, 205 and 214 all travel down City Road.
Note to Editors
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is an independent educational charity devoted to promoting contemporary art for the benefit of the public. The core activity of the foundation is to showcase contemporary work of leading and young international artists in various media. In conjunction with each exhibition Parasol unit organizes a series of talks and educational events. Each year, Parasol unit mounts four exhibitions in a variety of media, each of which is usually accompanied by a publication. In order to encourage the widest possible access to its exhibition programme, Parasol unit does not charge admission fees for its exhibitions.
