Year: 2022
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 130.3 x 97 cm (51 1/4 x 38 1/8 in.)
Acquired from MEET YOUR ART, 2022
Almost the entire painting is composed of white. In the works of minimalists such as R. Ryman and A. Martin, white was a depiction of reality. In this work, it is obviously difficult for viewers to comprehend what had been painted with this atmosphere of hazy whiteness. Yet if one meticulously scoops up with one’s hands, it is positive that light and color are present. Through his paintings as a medium, Hatayama’s works allow viewers to return to their fundamental “perception”. Rather than relying on our sensations such as visual and auditory, the artist asks for our primitive feelings, namely “Substantial Perception”. The poetic title “Bestowing Light”, is probably suggesting a return from individuality to wholesome, in other words, a return to “Universality”.
