Imai Norio × Uematsu Keiji

Imai Norio
Born in Osaka iPrefecture In 1946, Norio Imai held his first solo exhibition in 1964 while studying at Osaka Municipal Kogei High School. After graduating, he studied under Jiro Yoshiwara and joined the Gutai Art Association, becoming a full member the following year. In 1966, he received First Prize at the 10th Shell Art Award and held a solo exhibition at the Gutai Pinacotheca. He participated in exhibitions such as the First Sogetsu Experimental Film Festival (1967) and Contemporary Space ’68: Light and Environment, and was active as one of the members who led the new phase of Gutai. Since then, he has continued to present works both in Japan and abroad, using media such as photography, video, and sound. In 2024, the exhibition “Norio Imai: Drawing Out the Long Future”, was held at the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History.

Uematsu Keiji
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1947, Keiji Uematsu graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Education, Kobe University in 1969. In the same year, he held his first solo exhibition at Gallery 16 in Kyoto. In 1974, he received the Kobe City Cultural Encouragement Award. The following year, he moved to what was then West Germany. In 1976, his first solo museum exhibition abroad was held at the Moderna Museet. In 1988, he participated as Japan’s representative in the 43rd Venice Biennale. In 1990, he received the Grand Prize at the 12th Kobe Suma Rikyu Park Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition. In addition to installations using materials such as stone, wood, fabric, iron, and glass, he has produced numerous works in sculpture, photography, video, and performance that enable viewers to perceive the structure, existence, and relationships of the world through the invisible laws of forces such as gravity, tension, and attraction.