A Heart Opens

Oil on canvas

As we continue to engage with painting, we are repeatedly drawn back to the questions of why we paint and what constitutes painting.

These questions are not answered in a single instance; they arise repeatedly during the creative process, constantly evolving and persevering.

The members gathered here, each with diverse backgrounds, are exploring the still undefined concept of "painting" in their own unique ways and paces.

From prehistoric cave paintings to religious art, perspective, Impressionism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Conceptual Art—and even to the present day where AI generates images in a second—painting has always been updated with the question, "Is this also painting?" At the 6th Oil Painting Laboratory at Tokyo University of the Arts, we are exploring how these conditions—space, time, and light—which constitute the medium of painting, along with the relationship between the support and the body, and the very act of "seeing," can be expanded through our individual creative processes, re-examining these fundamental elements. This entire process is also a continuous exploration of the question, "How do humans see the world?"

In 2026, the time we can gather in this laboratory with this group of members is effectively only one year.

The current laboratory consists of 11 members: four second-year students, four first-year students, one international student, an assistant, and a professor.

Each individual's work differs greatly in theme and method, and the relationships between works are not predetermined.

While art creation is inherently a highly personal and solitary endeavor, here, the presence of others and everyday events quietly permeate the creative process, like colors being blended together.

The critiques heard from next door, casual conversations, and the time spent between creative sessions—these gradually begin to act as inseparable elements of the creative process.

The events that occur often appear as accidental occurrences. However, instead of overlooking them as mere coincidences or fleeting miracles, we maintain an attitude of seeking relationships and meaning within them, thereby connecting them to our creative work.

Chance is not merely an uncertain element, but an opportunity to expand the possibilities of painting.

The title "GABE (Gift)" doesn't refer to the mere coincidence of our gathering here. Rather, it represents our attitude towards how we perceive that coincidence, how we find meaning and relationships within it, and how we connect it to our creative process. The slight discrepancies, overlaps, or series of accidental events that arise within this process will likely appear as turning points in the artistic histories each of us will follow.

We still believe in something that can only be expressed through the medium of painting.

From the 6th Oil Painting Laboratory, Tokyo University of the Arts