Yosuke Amemiya｜WATARI-UM, The Watari Museum of Art, which has not melted yet.

Returning from Poland after 66 yearsKoji Kamoji｜Don't let the unnecessary overshadow the whole

EXHIBITION

My work

What is the right position?
To find the right position.
Getting back to the search.
Perhaps this is the most important thing in my work.

Around 1970, I was struggling to figure out how to transfer the presence of the stone to the flat surface of the painting. I was sitting in front of a fairly large white canvas on the wall and a stone, looking for a point on the canvas that corresponded to the presence of the stone by making dots with a pencil. Finding that one point was my only job at that time. Sometimes I would move it two or three centimeters to the right or to the left. I was looking for the position of the point corresponding to the large stone that I thought was right for me. Then on another day I would draw a vertical line through that one point. For me, it seemed to be a clue that could express the existence of the stone and the air and space surrounding it. The four pieces were exhibited at the Foksal Gallery in Warsaw, and I gave them the title Two Poles.
The four works were created as a counterpoint to the stone placed on the gallery floor, and it seems impossible to objectively prove whether they were successful or not. But since then, the search for the right position, the right place, seems to have become the sole purpose of my work.
All of the works in this exhibition were created in the process of searching for the same purpose, the right place. For me, the work is the reception of the presence of the stone, and it could be said that it is a collection of my feelings. The vertical line is the direction of concentration.

Aiming for transparency and simplicity,
Don't let the unnecessary overshadow the whole.

Koji Kamoji, sometime in 2025





This is the first major exhibition in Japan of Koji Kamoji, who is based in Poland and turns 90 this year. 20 paintings, 9 sculptures, 80 drawings, and 3 installations created from the 1960s to the present day are on display in this small retrospective exhibition of Kamoji's work, which is organized by Zachęta – National Gallery of Art and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Poland.
Kamoji’s works often contain elements that evoke his personal experience. For example, elements related to the space, air and water that he experienced during a long boat trip to Poland in the late 1950s, and even a regression to the tragic suicide of his friend are expressed in his works.
On the other hand, Kamoji also refers to the origins of European abstract painting and exploration of spirituality in art. Spiritual aspects including repetition in production, thorough concentration and minimalism can be seen in his works.
The works are the result of the artist’s desire to touch the essence of life, things and the world. His practice to express the infinity of space, the nature of water, and air can be said as an attempt to intuitively understand the essence of nature.
The installation work, Draught (1975), in which simple holes are punched in a hung Japanese paper, represents time and space. It signifies the passage of time and connects to the Japanese concept of “as it is”. This is an expression unique to Kamoji, who has worked at the crossroads of various cultures.

Kamoji says, “Aiming for transparency and simplicity, don't let the unnecessary overshadow the whole.” We wonder what kind of presence Kamoji's works will have at WATARI-UM in Tokyo in 2025.

WORKS

PROFILE

Koji Kamoji_portrait

Koji Kamoji standing against the backdrop of the installation ‘The Will to Live’ (Zachęta - National Gallery of Art, 2018), photo by Marek Krzyżanek

Koji Kamoji

Born in Tokyo in 1935. Studied under Saburo Aso and Takeo Yamaguchi at the Musashino Art University from 1953 to 1958.Inspired by his uncle, Ryochu Umeda (East European historian, translator of Polish literature, and Japanese teacher at the University of Warsaw) he decided to study in Warsaw. In 1959, went on board to Poland. The sense of space, water and air that he felt during the two-month voyage had a great influence on Kamoji’s later works.
Enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1960. Began studying under a famous painter Artur Nacht-Samborski and graduated in 1966. Held his first exhibition with Leszek Walicki at the Krzysztofory Gallery in Krakow. In 1967, after graduating, he began his career at the legenday Foksal Gallery (founded in 1966) and his practice played an important role in the historical development of Polish contemporary art.



Zachęta – National Gallery of Art

Zachęta – National Gallery of Art is an institution whose mission is to popularise contemporary art as an important element of socio-cultural life. A place where the most interesting phenomena of 20th and 21st century art are presented. The gallery stages temporary exhibitions. Zachęta also has an impressive collection, which consists of almost 3700 works in the field of painting, sculpture, installation, video, graphics and performance. For over 70 years, Zachęta's task has been to supervise and organize exhibitions in the Polish Pavilion in Venice at the Art Biennale and the Architecture Biennale — one of the most important art reviews in the world.
www.zacheta.art.pl


The Adam Mickiewicz Institute

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) connects Polish culture with global audiences. As a state institution, IAM nurtures long-term interest in Polish culture and the arts, bolstering the presence of Polish artists on the international stage. It initiates innovative projects, supports cross-border collaboration, and promotes both acclaimed and emerging Polish creators, showcasing the diversity and richness of the country’s cultural landscape. IAM also manages Culture.pl, a comprehensive online resource on Polish culture.

Past exhibitions