About Jeu.
Jeu. is an art duo consisting of an architect Hideaki NISHIMURA and an artist Yumi TOYAMA.
In simple shapes such as circles and squares, in ordinary objects we use in our daily lives, in sounds we usually hear in a casual way, or in parts of the body we do not normally pay attention to, we are sometimes able to sense mathematical laws such as geometric composition, structural balance and dynamic equilibrium.
If there is an extraterrestrial civilisation that is totally different from ours in every respect, and if there is a way to communicate with it, we feel it would be through an art that gives a sense of such a universal order.
The aim of our artistic activity is to play with the laws and structures of the world, of which we are not normally aware, and to integrate and reconstruct them into our work.
Artistic Technique
As an attempt to show our vision, "Geometrically-Manipulated Painting" series, created by manipulating primitive shapes such as circles and polygons under certain rules, does not aim to represent or symbolise anything, but purely demonstrate how we can dialogue and play with the shapes and colours themselves.
The works in this series can be drawn with only a compass and straightedge.
"2.5D Leather Painting/Sculpture" series is a result of being fascinated by the plasticity of leather, which can form a flexible shape when moistened, and fix its shape when it dries, and the leather dyeing technique, which has a unique texture differing from oil or watercolour painting.
The works in this series are produced by embossing/debossing and dyeing the surface of leather, exploring the possibilities of figuration in the intermediate dimension between two-dimensional and three-dimensional works.
Our works also include architectural installations, 3D-objects and rendered images and videos that are the result of the knowledge and skills gained in the process of architectural design, such as building materials, computer simulations and structural mechanics.
In this way, through the various media created by the fusion of our individual experiences, techniques and aesthetics, we attempt to reflect and embody in our work the joy and inspiration we feel when we perceive the universal laws and structures lurking in the depth of our daily lives.
Artist: Hideaki NISHIMURA
Hideaki NISHIMURA is a first-class licensed architect in Japan and the representative of an architectural agency ANTI -Atelier across Art and Architecture- (www.anti.archi).
Since earning his master's degree in architecture in Italy, in addition to his works as an award-winning architect, he has also been creating installation artworks and land art projects.
As a specialist in the manipulation of space, his constant interest is to visualise the laws of the world that are not reflected on the retina, such as the circulation of forces in the universe and nature, the relationship of each element in space and time, and the tension between the inside and outside of an object.
His attempts to visualise invisible laws can be found in his some artworks such as BALANCE | IMBALANCE (www.anti.archi/balance-imbalance)" and "WATER CONCERTO (www.anti.archi/water-concerto)".
For him, creation is the best way of experiencing the joy of playing with principles and structures that are omnipresent in the world but which we usually do not notice, rather than expressing himself or speaking for something else.
Artist: Yumi TOYAMA
After studying oil painting and silverpoint drawing, Yumi TOYAMA worked as a colourist and a manicurist in the luxury fashion industry in Paris.
Her nail artworks (www.instagram.com/v.uej/), characterized by subtle colours and minimalistic sculptural expressions, were highly appreciated from major fashion companies such as VOGUE, CHANEL, CHRISTIAN DIOR and CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, and she had been commissioned to work on a variety of projects such as brand advertisements, magazine shootings, and beauty consultings.
However, her experience in the luxury fashion industry gradually led her artistic interest to shift from embellishing brand images with the added value of visual beauty and well-crafted stories to, conversely, the pure independence of mathematics, which stands completely on its own, without any need for symbolisation or narratives.
The purpose of her creation has now shifted from merely pursuing visual beauty into evoking contemplation and self-reflection through the messages and questions contained in her artworks.
Harnessing her experience of colour schemes and meticulous works in the fields of beauty and fashion, now she pursues geometric constructions in both 2D and 3D works, that do not speak for anything, but are themselves as a manifestation of the laws and principles.
