Mitsumasa Kadota's Solo Exhibition 'Dissolving Horizons: A New Figure-Ground Proposition' to be Held at GOCA by Garde in New York During Frieze Week
GARDE Co., Ltd. will host a solo exhibition for contemporary artist Mitsumasa Kadota at their New York gallery during Frieze Week, showcasing a fusion of Japanese polytheistic worldviews and Abstract Expressionism.
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GARDE Co., Ltd. (HQ: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Kenji Muro), a global provider of total services in interior design, consulting, and coordination, is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of renowned contemporary artist Mitsumasa Kadota, titled 'Dissolving Horizons: A New Figure-Ground Proposition,' starting Thursday, May 7, 2026, at GOCA by Garde.
This exhibition is timed to coincide with 'Frieze Week,' one of the largest international art events, where galleries, collectors, and curators from around the world gather in New York. The works will be showcased in Chelsea, the heart of the art district.
GOCA by Garde is the first overseas art gallery by GARDE, serving as a hub for introducing Japanese and Asian artists to the global stage through various media such as painting, sculpture, and ceramics. It aims to be a new cultural landmark for disseminating contemporary Asian art globally.
Mitsumasa Kadota has developed a unique painterly expression that draws on the context of American Abstract Expressionism while being rooted in a Japanese polytheistic worldview. In this exhibition, he addresses the fundamental structure of painting—the relationship between 'figure' and 'ground'—presenting a visual experience where boundaries between space and action, self and the world, continuously shift.
By presenting Kadota's work during the internationally significant Frieze Week, the exhibition aims to further deepen his international reputation as a figure who bridges art historical context with cultural identity.
### Exhibition Highlights
This exhibition attempts to redefine the Eastern spirituality underlying Kadota's work within the global context of art history, positioning him as an authentic extension of American Abstract Expressionism.
The theme, 'A New Figure-Ground Proposition,' is both an exploration of planar structures in painting and an expression of a uniquely Japanese polytheistic worldview.
In response to the challenge of deconstructing the boundary between background (ground) and subject (figure)—a task once tackled by figures like Helen Frankenthaler and Barnett Newman—Kadota offers a new response from the perspective of 'non-dualism,' seeing divinity in all things.
In his works, dynamic brushstrokes and colors clash, and the boundary between space and the act of painting constantly shifts and dissolves. This is an attempt to sublimate Eastern philosophical thought into painterly structure while inheriting the possibilities of flatness reached by Abstract Expressionism.
### Exhibition Overview
Title: Mitsumasa Kadota Solo Exhibition 'Dissolving Horizons: A New Figure-Ground Proposition'
Period: May 7, 2026 (Thursday) – June 18, 2026 (Thursday)
Address: GOCA by Garde, 515 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Admission: Free
Official Website: https://www.goca.gallery/
### Artist Profile
Mitsumasa Kadota
Born in 1980. Graduate of Tokyo Zokei University. For over 20 years, he has consistently explored the limits and new horizons of painterly expression. He has built a solid career with exhibitions at major Japanese galleries, as well as the Sezon Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma. Recently, he has gained high acclaim and sales in the Asian art market and is currently expanding his international reputation.
Official Website: https://kadota.art/
### About GOCA by Garde
Located in the Chelsea district of New York, GOCA by Garde is an art gallery operated by GARDE, specializing in Japanese and Asian contemporary art. It showcases emerging and established artists through painting, sculpture, and ceramics, aiming to facilitate cultural exchange and dialogue.
This exhibition is timed to coincide with 'Frieze Week,' one of the largest international art events, where galleries, collectors, and curators from around the world gather in New York. The works will be showcased in Chelsea, the heart of the art district.
GOCA by Garde is the first overseas art gallery by GARDE, serving as a hub for introducing Japanese and Asian artists to the global stage through various media such as painting, sculpture, and ceramics. It aims to be a new cultural landmark for disseminating contemporary Asian art globally.
Mitsumasa Kadota has developed a unique painterly expression that draws on the context of American Abstract Expressionism while being rooted in a Japanese polytheistic worldview. In this exhibition, he addresses the fundamental structure of painting—the relationship between 'figure' and 'ground'—presenting a visual experience where boundaries between space and action, self and the world, continuously shift.
By presenting Kadota's work during the internationally significant Frieze Week, the exhibition aims to further deepen his international reputation as a figure who bridges art historical context with cultural identity.
### Exhibition Highlights
This exhibition attempts to redefine the Eastern spirituality underlying Kadota's work within the global context of art history, positioning him as an authentic extension of American Abstract Expressionism.
The theme, 'A New Figure-Ground Proposition,' is both an exploration of planar structures in painting and an expression of a uniquely Japanese polytheistic worldview.
In response to the challenge of deconstructing the boundary between background (ground) and subject (figure)—a task once tackled by figures like Helen Frankenthaler and Barnett Newman—Kadota offers a new response from the perspective of 'non-dualism,' seeing divinity in all things.
In his works, dynamic brushstrokes and colors clash, and the boundary between space and the act of painting constantly shifts and dissolves. This is an attempt to sublimate Eastern philosophical thought into painterly structure while inheriting the possibilities of flatness reached by Abstract Expressionism.
### Exhibition Overview
Title: Mitsumasa Kadota Solo Exhibition 'Dissolving Horizons: A New Figure-Ground Proposition'
Period: May 7, 2026 (Thursday) – June 18, 2026 (Thursday)
Address: GOCA by Garde, 515 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Admission: Free
Official Website: https://www.goca.gallery/
### Artist Profile
Mitsumasa Kadota
Born in 1980. Graduate of Tokyo Zokei University. For over 20 years, he has consistently explored the limits and new horizons of painterly expression. He has built a solid career with exhibitions at major Japanese galleries, as well as the Sezon Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma. Recently, he has gained high acclaim and sales in the Asian art market and is currently expanding his international reputation.
Official Website: https://kadota.art/
### About GOCA by Garde
Located in the Chelsea district of New York, GOCA by Garde is an art gallery operated by GARDE, specializing in Japanese and Asian contemporary art. It showcases emerging and established artists through painting, sculpture, and ceramics, aiming to facilitate cultural exchange and dialogue.