Tenmyouya Hisashi


Tenmyouya Hisashi is a Japanese contemporary artist, known for developing the styles neo-Nihonga and basara. His work combines traditional Japanese painting techniques with modern influences.

Biography

Tenmyouya was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. After working as an art director at a record company, he became a full-time artist in 1997. His practice has since developed around the adaptation of pre-modern Japanese painting traditions into contemporary formats.

Artistic approaches

In the early 2000s, Tenmyouya introduced the term Neo-Nihonga to describe his work using traditional Japanese pigments and supports. The style was framed in contrast to Western-influenced oil painting and positioned as a continue of Japanese pictorial traditions in a contemporary setting.
Around 2010, Tenmyouya began describing another stylistic approach called basara, referencing a medieval Japanese term associated with extravagance and excess. The term basara refers to the family of innovative, unprecedented beauty of the Nanboku dynasty period, the Kabukimono of the end of the Warring States period, the Ukiy-o-eshi of the end of the Edo period, and contemporary Japanese youth culture with kitsch tastes. Tenmyouya regards the concept as standing on the opposite end of the spectrum from wabi-sabi and being incompatible with Otaku culture.

Influences

Temyouya has cited artists including Tarō Okamoto as influences, particularly Okamoto's distinction between "Yayoi-like" refined artand Jomon-like dynamic art. The term basara is an adopted and developed version of Okamoto's concept of Jomon-like art, which is excessive in beauty yet innovative.

Personal life

, Tenmyouya lives and works in Saitama, Japan and is represented by the Mizuma Art Gallery in Tokyo.

Selected exhibitions

Tenmyouya’s work has been presented in numerous exhibitions in Japan and internationally. Notable solo presentations include:
  • "Japanese Spirit" at Harajuku Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, 2000
  • "Kabuku" at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2003
  • "NEO Japanese Paintings" at Roppongi Hills Art and Design Space, Tokyo, 2007
  • "Fighting Spirit" at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2008
  • "FURYUEXTRAVAGANT" at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2009
  • "G-tokyo 2011" at Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo, 2011
  • "Rhyme" at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2012
  • "Rough Sketch and Print" at Tengai Gallery, Tokyo, 2013
  • "Process through to the original – Sketch" at Roppongi Hills Art and Design Gallery, Tokyo, 2014
  • "Rhyme II" at Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2014
  • "Ippitsu-Nyuukon Exhibition" at Parco Museum, Tokyo, 2014
He has also participated in major group exhibitions such as:

Reception

Tenmyouya has received several awards, including the 'Outstanding Perofrmance Award' in 6th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art in 2003. His works are held in public collections such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Chazen Museum of Art, as well as in Japanese museum and private collections.

Books

  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Japanese Spirit. Gakken, 2003
  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Kabuki-mono. Parco, 2004
  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Tenmyouya Hisashi. Kawade Shobō Shinsha, 2006
  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Kamon Tenmyouya Hisashi. King of Mountain, 2007
  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Basara Japanese Art Theory Crossing Borders: From Jomon Pottery to Decorated Trucks. Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, 2010.
  • Tenmyouya Hisashi, Masterpiece. Seigenshiya, Publishers, 2014.