Makoto Fujimura

“Re-sonance” | December 2 – December 30, 2021

In September 2021, Makoto Fujimura had an exhibit titled “Re-membrance” at High Line Nine to  commemorate the past 20 years since 9/11. Now, High Line Nine is excited to bring back Fujimura for his new exhibit “Re-sonance,” which looks to the future. 

Hartmut Rosa, in his seminal work “Resonance,” wrote, “both laughing and crying are modes of experience  and behavior that are capable of convincing us precisely of the soundness of our relationship to the world,  as they bring us (although of course in two very different ways) into a resonant relationship to the world.”  

Fujimura describes the new exhibit as follows: 

The monumental works “Sea Beyond” (dedicated to the memory of my mother Yoko  Sugai) and “Christmas, 2020” (dedicated to my bride Haejin Shim Fujimura) explore  resonance to honor the past and look beyond the vista, beholding our fractures at the  same time. My father Osamu Fujimura - a renowned pure researcher in acoustics and  phonetics field - taught me the intimate links between hearing and seeing, between  scientific rigor and artistic inspiration. I paint by hearing sound, I hear what I see. 

“Sea Beyond” is a triptych spanning 33 feet, painted with a singular material, traditional Japanese white  “Gofun” made from oyster shells on raw Belgium linen. “Christmas, 2020” (66”H x 89”W) was painted with  white ruby and quartz on deep azure poured over canvas, exploring Fujimura’s journey with Embers International (an international justice and mercy organization) and using art as a gift to spark conversations  of beauty and justice. These installations are designed to integrate “relational aesthetics” framework to  Fujimura’s contemplative works. 

This exhibit will feature numerous events including Fujimura’s live painting performance with his long time collaborator Susie Ibarra, Young People’s Chorus of NYC, and NADIA (National Arts Diversity Integration Association). 

About the Artist

Fujimura is an American-born artist of Japanese roots whose refractive surfaces using the traditional Nihonga (Japanese style painting) materials, fused with space-age materials form a uniquely contemporary expression. Fujimura is a leading figure in the “slow art” movement, with his work being described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”.