Yuichi Hirako The Nature

The Nature is Tokyo-based Yuichi Hirako’s first exhibition at The Modern Institute. The artist grew up in rural Okayama, Japan, and spent an introspective childhood drawing and copying scenes from his favourite manga. Both this setting and his interest in draftsmanship continue to play out in his practice.

Hirako’s ‘tree man’ pervades the paintings and sculptures under various aliases. A self-portrait of sorts, this mythological figure has a human body and a fir or pine tree head replete with antlers. The character evolved in part from the Japanese folkloric tradition of the kodama or tree spirit. In Hirako’s imaginings, the ‘tree-man’ is neither simply a nature lover nor a detached urbanite. It can be understood as a foil for any introspective viewer, underscoring our inconsistent relationship to nature.

Many of his paintings to date have focused on imaginary landscapes that address the question of coexistence with our environment — refusing to offer any dogmatic conclusions. Lost in Thought 102 continues in this vein. Its subject is a surreal picnic in which two ‘tree men’ sit together on a blanket under a troubled sky. A purgatorial quality also pervades the 'Nonchooser' series, and it is unclear whether indecision is made a virtue in them. All these small paintings feature a variation on the ‘tree man’ character standing before an ambiguous and expressionistically painted background. Each has a bemused attitude and different attire.