Tokyo, Japan – waitingroom is pleased to announce Shoko Morita’s fourth solo exhibition “sound sleep” at the gallery after two years from October 31 to December 6. Shoko Morita’s paintings are often associated to three-dimensional works for the strong sense of texture left by carving. Morita begins with creating the panel into irregular shapes such as round or honeycomb shape, and she follows to give thick layers of acrylic paint first, then scratches the paint to carve the motif, and finishes with oil paint for coloring. In the coming exhibition, we will show her new works including eight works of round-panel, two large works of honey-comb panel, and a set of seven works of honey-comb panel. Along with the launch of the exhibition, Morita’s first art book “The sound sleepers” will be also published.

MORITA(b.1977) was born in Toyama Prefecture and now lives in Aichi. After leaving Musashino Art University’s Department of Imaging and Sciences, she completed her studies at Aichi Prefectural Seto Pottery Senior High School in 1999, then graduated from Setsu Mode Seminar in 2005. The blurred space between the reality and fantasy remains the constant theme in her paintings. Her recent shows include solo exhibitions, “Across the Hill” (waitingroom, Tokyo) in 2013, “Wearing a Misty Night,” (waitingroom, Tokyo) in 2011, and “through the fog” (Satellite, Okayama) in 2005. Also she took part in the group exhibition, “Deah, Shuturum” (Nagoya Civic Gallery Yada, Aichi) in 2013.

The exhibition title “sound sleep” not only refers to deep sleep, but also to the commonly-shared and extremely private status where a person is defenceless but filled with silent power that Morita wants to imply. Morita said that even though there are plenty of chances to stare at chaos, the works made with the heart where chaos remains will turn out to be something totally opposite to chaos that hides some quiet heat. In French poet Leconte de Lisle’s poem “Midi”, the “calm and sound sleep” from the line “Lies there so still, calm and sound sleep” is exactly what Morita hopes to quote into the exhibition title, as the scenes of the power enriched in silence recurred in her works from the past, instead of the vibrant powerful scenes.

Along with the exhibition, we will also have Shoko Morita’s book launch < the sound sleepers >. In collaboration with PORT, the book design team featuring extended cardboard use, < the sound sleepers > encompasses eight pieces of the print of Marita’s round paintings into an irregular-shaped case. Each piece can be hung or displayed as one pleases.

*The images of the sample book.

Book Info
Book Title : the sound sleepers
Publisher : Shoko Morita
Design : PORT
Publish Date : October 28, 2015
First Edition : 200 copies
Size : Case- 304 x 304 x 20 mm / Cardboard- diameter 300mm
Price : 4,320JPY (Tax Included)
Contents : The eight works selected for the book included the ones in the exhibition press release and the following three.