Tokyo – In a compelling juxtaposition of disciplines, a new exhibition brings together the seemingly disparate worlds of quantum physics and feminist body reclamation. “Between the Fragments” features the visionary works of artists Jiwon Kim and Naoto Fuchigami, creating an unexpected yet profound conversation about reality, identity, and the spaces in between.
While their methods stand in stark contrast, both artists delve into the concept of fragmentation to unearth deeper truths. Jiwon Kim, working with traditional Korean Hanji paper, meticulously fragments and then stitches back together representations of the female form. Her art is a deeply personal act of rebellion against societal beauty standards and a ritual of healing, transforming vulnerability and perceived imperfection into powerful statements on self-acceptance. Kim’s process mirrors a journey of overcoming bodily complexes, challenging viewers to confront societal pressures and embrace authentic beauty.
In magnetic counterpoint stands Naoto Fuchigami, a physicist who turned his focus to art. Fuchigami takes silicon wafers, the bedrock of modern digital technology, and deliberately pulverizes them into elemental dust. His “ℏ Series” is a symbolic deconstruction, returning technology to its raw state and questioning our understanding of reality through the lens of quantum science. By grinding down semiconductors, Fuchigami critiques humanity’s cognitive limitations and tendency towards oversimplification, revealing the uncanny properties of the very elements that compose our world and pushing artistic expression into uncharted territory.
Kim, born in South Korea in 1998, holds an MFA in oil painting from Musashino Art University and works between South Korea and Japan. Her art stems from personal struggles with eating disorders and self-loathing fueled by societal pressures, evolving into a discipline for self-acceptance and catharsis.
Fuchigami, born in Kobe, Japan, in 1995, graduated with a degree in Physics and Applied Physics before working as a Systems Engineer. His fascination with the often counter-intuitive world of atoms and molecules, studied through quantum physics, became the foundation for his artistic exploration into the true nature of reality.
Though one works with the intimate medium of paper and thread to mend representations of the body, and the other reduces the icons of technology to powder, both Kim and Fuchigami find common ground in the “delicate fissures between broken pieces.” Their combined works suggest that truth and beauty are found not in perfect wholeness or complete fragmentation, but in exploring the electric territories that lie between – whether examining the structure of matter or the structure of self-image.
“Between the Fragments” promises a revelatory exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with deconstruction and reconstruction, challenging the very frameworks through which we perceive existence.
The exhibition “Between the Fragments” featuring Jiwon Kim and Naoto Fuchigami will be held at JPS Gallery (Tokyo), located at 1/F, Tobu 2nd bldg, 6-27-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2025, from 5 pm to 8 pm. The exhibition will run from May 3 to June 1, 2025.
