ISSHIN TANISAKI Rainbow 2026 Oil on canvas 152.4×152.4 cm / 60.0×60.0 in
LURF GALLERY is pleased to present "NETWORK AND BEING," a solo exhibition by Isshin Tanisaki.
Throughout his career, Tanisaki has used painting to explore the fundamental mechanisms of existence—how nature, life, and myriad interconnected elements give form to our universe.
Through his distinctive brushwork and richly layered colors, he captures far more than visible scenery, depicting the very essence of the world we inhabit.
This exhibition showcases newly created pieces centered on his long-standing thematic inquiry, alongside a monumental four-panel work originally exhibited in 2026 at Komyo-in, a sub-temple of Tofuku-ji in Kyoto.
Each canvas reveals a unique perspective that shifts with the viewer and sparks the imagination, offering visitors a compelling opportunity to experience the artist’s vision in person.
The exhibition runs from Friday, November 6 to Sunday, December 13, 2026, across the first and second floors of LURF GALLERY, located at Roob1, 28-13 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (150-0033). The gallery welcomes visitors daily between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.
An opening reception with the artist in attendance will take place on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
In his artist statement, Tanisaki reflects on how the world exists through an infinite variety of plants, trees, insects, and fish.
Yet, their mere presence as isolated entities does not bring a world into being; it is the network connecting them that allows the concept of the world to emerge.
ISSHIN TANISAKI Forest 2026 Oil on canvas 101.6×101.6 cm / 40.0×40.0 in
This perspective has ancient roots, weaving both the visible and invisible through interconnecting bonds to present a unified worldview.
Tanisaki sees his paintings as part of this enduring lineage. Viewing the familiar sphere through the framework of a network reveals a gradual accumulation of small worlds, ultimately forming the cornerstone of a vastly greater whole.
Isshin Tanisaki centers his artistic practice on the themes of vital energy and circulation.
He portrays this life force by painting vortices with rich combinations of color and texture, treating the spiral as a direct symbol of dynamic movement.
Since the early 2000s, Tanisaki has presented natural landscapes formed from dense accumulations of fine dots, the foundational origin of his vortex motifs.
By positioning the spiral as the elemental pattern shaping all phenomena in nature, his minimalist compositions invite deeper contemplation into the movement of energy that sparks life, forms everyday reality, and constructs the wider cosmos.
ISSHIN TANISAKI Morning 2025 Oil on canvas 162×162 cm / 63.7×63.7 in frame 165×165 cm / 64.9×64.9 in
