Japan’s master artist of sonic visual sensations, Tetsuya Umeda is set to thrill with his site specific occupation of The Substation from 30 October to 4 November and a one off performance on Friday 3 November 2017.
Umeda’s practice straddles performing art, improvisational music and exhibition. He creates lively environs by melding architectural structures, objects, sound and light. His richly dynamic and embodied installations are often situated outside of the gallery context.
His temporal works utilise found domestic items, transforming them from their daily familiarity into a spectacle of the unexpected. The transparent process taking place before the audience’s eyes, exposing viewers as both witnesses and collaborators as they engage with his interactive performance pieces.
Born in Kumamoto, Japan, Tetsuya Umeda studied in Osaka, where he is based today. From capturing environments, architectural structures, sound, light and human behaviour, the source of his work ranges widely. Working actively both in and outside of Japan, Umeda remodels installations out of daily products, engages viewers with his interactive performance pieces, and collaborates with musicians using his own originally produced implements.
Umeda has held a number of significant solo exhibitions including: Science of Superstition – Sonic Protest Festival, Montreal (2015); Age0 – Breaker Project, Osaka (2014); Ota Fine Arts Singapore, Singapore (2013); Exhibition as media 2011: Tetsuya Umeda, Kobe Art Village Center, Kobe (2011); and Criterium 73: Tetsuya Umeda – Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, Mito (2008).
He has also participated in performing arts and music festivals in Asia and Europe including the 1st Aichi Triennale 2010: Arts and Cities, Nagoya (2010); Double Vision: Contemporary Art From Japan – Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow / Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa (2012); Simple Interactions. Sound Art from Japan – The Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Roskilde (2011).
Umeda has recently been featured at RhythmScape – Gyoenggi Museum of Modern Art, Gyoenggi (2015); Sounds of Us – Trafó Gallery, Budapest (2015-2016); and Liveworks 2017 at Sydney’s Carriageworks with Ringo.
“Tetsuya Umeda’s installations are as much about the sounds, as they are about the arrangement of everyday items he uses. Umeda’s main work is the object’s performance, which he helps orchestrate, but is never in control of.” – The Japan Times
Tetsuya Umeda
The Substation, 1 Market Street, Newport
Exhibition: 30 October – 4 November 2017 (free admission)
Performance: Friday 3 November 2017 – 7.00pm (tickets required)
Information and Bookings: www.thesubstation.org.au
Image: Tetsuya Umeda – courtesy of the artist