“... The infinitely quiet and beautiful space of EUGENE STUDIO’s work makes us think about the complexities of ‘being’ in the world. It is a space of deep contemplation and sorrow, but beyond all dualism, it presents the possibility of hope for the future and the ‘imagination’ for coexistence. The power to imagine the unseen is the power to advance our understanding of diversity and symbiosis. (Eugene Kangawa)

This belief may be the reason why he uses the name ‘STUDIO’, an artist name that evokes a variety of collaborations, rather than an individual name.”

“... A ‘sea’ appears in the atrium space from the second basement floor to the ground floor of the museum. The surroundings are covered with mirrors, and as one walks along the walls, one’s own image repeats endlessly along with the surface of the water as it ripples and shakes.
Inspired by the fact that the land where this space exists is below sea level, the work reminds the viewer of the ‘sea’ as a source of life and death, as well as a source of fertility and threat.
The large-scale installation, which allows natural light to enter the space and changes its expression over time, is impressive in terms of both scale and beauty.”

“... Eugene Kangawa was born in the U.S. the same year the Berlin Wall fell. In the U.S., due to his father’s work, Kangawa later moved to Takarazuka City in Hyogo Prefecture, where the Great Kansai-Awaji Earthquake struck when he was six years old. During his college years, Kangawa experienced the death of his mother, who was battling an illness, and in the following year (2011), the Great East Japan Earthquake struck.
He had captured a wide range of events through his eyes, from world events to personal experiences, including a month-long trip to Europe when he was in elementary school and through his love of encyclopedias and illustrated books.
At the same time, he was interested in politics and sociology. In this age of artificial intelligence research, he saw the potential in daring to work on the ‘things we don’t understand’ and chose to become an artist.”

“... The painted landscapes are sometimes reminiscent of Japanese paintings, sometimes of Monet's Waterlilies, and sometimes of the medieval ‘Memento Mori.’ The hierarchy of ground and figure, reflecting things in transition and the things that capture them, becomes ambiguous, prompting reflection on ‘seeing’ and ‘perceiving.’ ”

“… The exhibition space itself also has Eugene Kangawa’s typical attention to detail. For example, the floor tiles in the exhibition space are from the EUGENE STUDIO atelier, and the sofa chair in front of the Rainbow Painting series and the museum attendant’s chairs were also brought in from his atelier and home.”

“… My interpretation of ‘After the rainbow’ is that it is an ‘imaginary sea.’ All the oceans on earth have been named, simply put; there are no more new oceans. Therefore, a new ocean is an entity that is not here but only in our imagination (Eugene Kangawa).”

“… I saw the Great Hanshin Earthquake and its reconstruction when I was a child living in the Hanshin area, and I experienced the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami as a university student. I became aware of the reality of the existence of invisible substances (such as radiation), particularly after the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami. This happened at the same time the use of SNS grew. I think people unconsciously imagined invisible people and communities. I felt that each problem, including the COVID-19 pandemic, was becoming more apparent. What if there was something I, we, could gain through this difficult decade-long situation? What if there is something we can do to transform the situation instead of just standing by and watching them as an invisible force? As I kept thinking about all this, what came into view was ‘the power of imagination.’ ”

“… Eugene Kangawa rephrased it with the word ‘acceptance.’ The changing self, the changing world, and the work as a receptacle for imagination. ‘The viewer must have room to engage with the work. This ultimately leads to the work facing and illuminating a variety of people. In fact, I think that many of the works in this exhibition easily reflect and reveal the viewer’s inner self. Through this exhibition, I am convinced once again that the timing of this exhibition is crucial for this day and age and that it is only possible through art and exhibitions.’ (Eugene Kangawa)”

“… Kangawa says this about this work. Printing technology has advanced over time to avoid fading, and it has become difficult to encourage the opposite. From more than 200 experiments, Eugene Kangawa combined ink materials from Japanese and Dutch manufacturers with French paper used since 1600 to attempt fading caused by natural light.”

“… we are all bound together as one big group in society. However, the people next to us are all different and have very different levels of proximity to each other. We cannot be integrated into each other, and differences are bound to emerge. And by recognizing the countless dots in the seemingly single large mass, we can also recognize that the mass was some kind of collective. I am projecting into my work the countless differences that would not be visible if I did not turn my interest to them. I think that the loneliness I felt during the pandemic, and the introspection I felt amid that loneliness, gave birth to these works that consider the individual and the collective.”

“… In the much-discussed new work, Image / Imagine #1 man, the sculpture is placed in darkness, but the viewer cannot appreciate its entity. This work, completed in perfect darkness without even Eugene Kangawa or the sculptor involved in its creation ever seeing it is an experiment in which the imagination of the “viewer” determines the nature of the work.”