Tokyo International Gallery Presents Towa Takaya's Solo Exhibition 'Threshold of Emergence'

Tokyo International Gallery Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa, Tennozu) will present 'Threshold of Emergence,' a solo exhibition by Towa Takaya, from Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to Saturday, October 24, 2026. Exquisite colors, complex textures, and a shimmering sense of depth—these characteristics of Takaya’s paintings are achieved not only through commercial paints and pigments but also through self-made color materials derived from substances with unique optical properties, such as pearlescent pigments, metals, CO₂-derived polymers, and locally sourced earth, ash, and minerals. Underlying this practice of layering diverse materials is a perspective that views the world not as an independent entity external to the self, but as something that emerges through the mutual interaction between the body and surrounding objects. This exhibition is positioned as a continuation of that very perspective. This viewpoint has deepened into more concrete inquiries, especially since Takaya began treating various substances as artistic materials. In recent years, his focus has shifted from the expression of color itself to the behavior of the materials that generate color. The central question in his current practice is how materials manifest different phases and transform the experience of seeing in relation to light, environment, viewpoint, and the body. Since the image is not a fixed entity but a phenomenon that is generated differently each time, the viewer’s body also becomes part of the field in which the image—the world—arises. Placing one’s body before the work, shifting one’s vantage point, and surrendering to the environment—this kind of experience is only accessible in this specific space. Within the interplay of light, space, body, and material at Tokyo International Gallery, what kind of world will emerge? We invite you to witness it firsthand. EXHIBITION STATEMENT Dissipative structures are linked to an entirely different principle of order formation—namely, 'order through fluctuations.' — Ilya Prigogine Phenomena are not objects that exist prior to meaning, but rather fields of interaction constituted each time through intensity distribution, environmental conditions, temporal change, and their relationship with the perceiving body. This exhibition focuses on the subtle process of displacement that occurs before such a field is stabilized into fixed images or meanings. When one action shifts into another, one order into another, and one value into its opposite, phenomena resist being grasped by any single property. Here, the familiar takes on unsettling signs, calm atmospheres transform into uncontrollable forces, and what appears destructive re-emerges as a condition for creation. Yet this reversal does not occur as a dramatic rupture, but through nearly imperceptible shifts in concentration, trace, particle, light, and perspective—occurring at the very edge of perception. The threshold in this exhibition is not merely a boundary. It is a critical site that appears just before meaning solidifies, or as broken meaning begins to reorganize into another order. This exhibition is an attempt to stand at that critical point. Towa Takaya ARTIST PROFILE Towa Takaya Born in 1992 in Tokyo, based in Tokyo. Centering on the exploration of optical phenomena and materials, Takaya develops painting as a phenomenon emerging from light, matter, and space. Using cosmetic ingredients, soil, minerals, and CO₂-utilizing materials, he creates visual experiences in which the physical properties of materials and the memory of land transform through light, viewpoint, and environment. Since 2022, he has conducted joint research with Shiseido’s Mirai Development Laboratory. Major solo exhibitions include 'Perhaps, Not Myself' (Design Festa Gallery, 2014), 'It calls: shades of innocence' (Lurf Gallery, 2024), 'Infinite Forms' (Ginza Mitsukoshi Gallery, 2025), 'Contour of Vacuum' (Kamakura Gallery, 2025), and 're: materiality' (hakari contemporary, 2025). He has participated in international art fairs such as ART FAIR TOKYO, Tokyo Gendai, and the Japan International Art Festival (Kansai Expo). Official website: https://towatakaya.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/towatakaya 1992 Born in Tokyo 2012 Completed Foundation at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London 2015 Graduated from Fine Art Department, Goldsmiths, University of London 2017 Research Associate, Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo [Solo Exhibitions] (from 2023) 2023 'JOY AFTER ALL—Kafufu' (Lurf Gallery, Tokyo) 2023 Research Exhibition 'Oscillating Painting Space—Research on Expression Using Cosmetic Ingredients' (Shiseido Global Innovation Center, Kanagawa) 2024 'It calls: shades of innocence' (Lurf Gallery, Tokyo) 2025 'Infinite Forms' (Ginza Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) 2025 'Raindrops Become Flowers, Dancing in the Air' (Lurf Gallery, Tokyo) 2025 'Image—Being, Life, and Nothingness' (ASTER Curator Museum, Ishikawa) 2025 're: materiality' (hakari contemporary, Kyoto) 2025 'Contour of Vacuum' (Kamakura Gallery, Kanagawa) 2026 'Sakura Time' (Hankyu Men’s Art Gallery, Osaka) 2026 'Amid Transience' (Ginza Mitsukoshi, Tokyo) [Group Exhibitions] 2016 'On the Threshold II: Formal Presence' (Oriental Museum, Durham, UK) 2022 'diverse paintings' (Seibu Shibuya, Tokyo) 2023 'Chroma Distance' (POLA Museum Annex, Tokyo) 2024 'Redcar Summer Exhibition 2024' (Redcar Contemporary Art Gallery, Redcar, UK) 2024 'Summer 2024' (Kamakura Gallery, Kanagawa) 2026 'Winter 2026' (Kamakura Gallery, Kanagawa) 2019 ART FAIR TOKYO 2019 (Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo) 2022 Initiated joint research with Shiseido Mirai Development Laboratory (research on optical expression using cosmetic ingredients) 2023 Joint Research成果 Exhibition 'Oscillating Painting Space' with Shiseido Mirai Development Laboratory (Yokohama S/PARK, Yokohama) 2024 Tokyo Gendai (PACIFICO Yokohama, Kanagawa) 2024 Kiaf SEOUL (COEX, Seoul) 2024 Art Fair Beppu 2024 (Beppu International Tourist Port, Oita) 2024 2nd Japan International Art Festival 'Creating the Future U35' (Midera Senyuji Shariden, Kyoto) 2024 Exhibition of 'Kafufu' (at a government facility; exhibition planning by Art Place inc.) 2025 Co-authored paper with Takeo Yamawaki and Towa Takaya, 'Cross-genre Classification of Painting Techniques,' published by the Japan Society for Arts and Science