4

Artist Riusuke Fukahori’s goldfish creations made of resin are so lifelike, they look like they could start swimming right before your eyes!

We’ve been more than impressed with Fukahori’s work in the past, which we’ve previously introduced on our site, but we’d never had the pleasure of seeing his goldfish art in person, so when we heard that he was putting on a solo exhibit at the Seibu Shibuya Department Store, we were thoroughly excited and determined to make our way to the show!

▼ A beautiful large panel announcing the exhibit was displayed at the entrance.

1

Fukahori, who is in his early 40s, began creating art in 1999 and has gained recognition for his beautiful three-dimensional goldfish paintings using epoxy resin and acrylic paint. His art is a tribute to the goldfish, which he says became a source of fascination and inspiration for him when he was at a low point in his creative career, and his work has been exhibited internationally at venues such as the Joshua Liner Gallery in New York, the ICN Gallery in London and the Harbour City Gallery in Hong Kong.

But you’re probably keen to see pictures of his actual work, so without further ado, here are some of the stunning goldfish creations we recently saw at Fukahori’s exhibit titled “Kingyoyougajoh (Goldfish Painting Farm) ～Underneath The Scales～“

▼ This piece is called the “Kerorin Qudara“, named after Kerorin, the distinct yellow plastic water bowls commonly used in Japanese bath houses, and Qudara, the Japanese name for the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje.

2

3

▼ This is one of the pieces in Fukahori’s signature “goldfish sake” series, in which he uses a masu, or wooden sake cup, as a container for his art.

P1090305

▼ These two small pieces were displayed as a pair, titled “Waiting for the owner. Turban shell / Oyster“.

5

6

▼ Flamboyantly gorgeous blue goldfish are portrayed in this piece called “The first shipment“.

7

▼ This piece, titled “Aizuitsu” (which can roughly be translated to “excellence of Aizu”), is created using an Aizu lacquer bowl that Fukahori happened to find in an antique store.

8

9

▼ This serene looking work is called “Soufu no Mon” (The Gate of Grass and Wind).

10

11

▼ This striking piece, in which you can almost see the water swirling in motion with the red goldfish, is titled “Aketsubo” (Scarlet Pot).

13

▼ “Tsujigiku” (literally, Crossroad Chrysanthemum) seems to be a fitting name for this bright delicate piece created inside an Émile Gallé bowl.

14

15

▼ “The Ark” is a huge, magnificent piece with a playful design that shows goldfish swimming inside the drawers of an antique desk.

16

▼ This small, gem of a piece titled “Shidakage” (Shida Shadow) is made in an antique Baccarat container decorated with images of ferns (pronounced “shida” in Japanese).

4

▼ Fukahori also does two-dimensional paintings of goldfish using regular paint. This large work on a stunning red canvas was created in a live painting session by the artist on May 10.

12

▼ A small area of the exhibit was also used to recreate Fukahori’s atelier.

17

▼ When we were at the exhibit this past weekend, Fukahori himself was there to give several live painting performances throughout the afternoon.

18

▼ During the performance we attended, he used a cardboard box to paint a scene we might see in a fish tank containing a goldfish.

19

20

▼ And here’s what he finished in front of us in about 25 minutes.

21

▼ We also got to see some other pictures he painted in his performances on the previous day.

22

So, we hope you enjoyed the report on our visit to Riusuke Fukahori’s exhibit. If you’re in Tokyo this month and have plans to be in the Shibuya area, it may interesting to check out, especially for art fans. Unfortunately, the exhibit space is not very big, and it can get quite crowded, so you may want to avoid weekend afternoons when  large crowds can be expected, but we think the lifelike goldfish are certainly worth a look! And even if you can’t make it to the exhibit, you can see more of Fukahori’s work on his Goldfish Salvation website.

Exhibit Details:
Riusuke Fukahori Exhibition “Kingyoyougajoh ～Underneath The Scales～”
From May 11 (Wed) to May 29 (Sun)
Venue: Seibu Shibuya Department Store Buildding A 7th Floor
Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawa-cho 21-1
〒150-8330 東京都渋谷区宇田川町21-1
(Less than 1 min from the JR and subway Shibuya Station,
Next to the Tsutaya/Starbucks building facing the Scramble Crossing)
Admission: 500 yen for adults (free for children of high school age and under)

All images © RocketNews24