「生成主义 · 专访」艺术家山本捷平

Shohei Yamamoto's creative philosophy shares some similarities with that of Stephen Gleadow in this exhibition: a sensitivity to objects and a certain historical ontology analysed by the repetitive superimposition of images. This "resonance" is also reflected in a private conversation between the two artists. From a perspective of creative subjectivity, Shohei Yamamoto uses Photoshop and other image editing software to simulate the production process, subsequently replicating patterns from icons and classical statues using homemade roller tools. Through this mandatory analog repetition, Shohei Yamamoto presents the process of image and symbol repetition on the canvas, creating an aura, or the possibility of chances and differences, that could not have been created in the age of digital reproduction. When the roller continues to repetitively imprint and reinforce on the canvas, it creates a signal constantly declining and a fading "noise".

In terms of subject matter, Shohei Yamamoto explores two aspects, moving from early "repetition" to recent "simulation". Utilizing various media as “doubles”, he gradually develops his creative structure. "Repetition" was the most common strategy used by Shohei Yamamoto in the early days of his career, shaping both the formal and aesthetic language of his paintings, and interpreting his understanding of history. In his early series such as lines, figures, and myths, Shohei Yamamoto technically interprets various means of repetition, actively engaging in the issue of intermediationality based on experimentation with multiple media. For example, in the “Calcite on Myth” series, Shohei Yamamoto uses pigments mixed with calcite, embodying geological time and the cycle of life and death, reflecting the philosophical views on matter and time in Japanese culture. These pigments form an uneven texture on the canvas surface. Between brushstrokes, sculptural patterns are revealed, thus creating an abstract-like effect. Furthermore, in works such as Reiterate - Rebel without a Cause and Reiterate - Poems by the Pillow, using similar creative techniques, he transforms abstract lines into figurative cartoons or human figures, such as the first generation of Ultraman and elements of ukiyo-e. Through repetitive forms carrying cultural symbolic features, he intervenes in the historical context of his own culture. Since 2024, Shohei Yamamoto has shifted his creative practice towards an inter-media "analog" approach, revisiting issues concerning the relationship between photography and painting. He places photographs of classical sculptures or landscapes in a digital darkroom and simulates the effect of oil paintings with digital brushstrokes. After transferring the images onto a canvas, he then applies a layer of transparent gel to create a tactile brushstroke effect. Following two rounds of simulation, the work achieves an effect that resembles oil paint strokes and sheen under parallax, thus creating a "mimicry" of the image under different perspectives.

Shohei Yamamoto's creations are based on an approach of " extension”, where he searches for "fragments" of images from the historical lineage. Layers of these images are repeated and superimposed in the form of inherent time, creating conditions conducive to a "generative" process influenced by intermediationality. Shohei Yamamoto's approach doesn’t aim for mechanical repetition but rather creates variability within repetition. These variations exist in flux and unpredictability, with clues perceivable amid the "noises" of his works. Material brushstrokes and subtle differences created by the gradual color changes in repeated images become "variables" in the repetition that Shohei Yamamoto pursues. These "variables" within repetition become the essential components that enable his work to continually generate. "Of course, Shohei Yamamoto doesn't just attribute his working method to “enactivism,” but rather incorporates individual feelings and experiences into a broader generative order. Ultimately, all phenomena we perceive are continuously in the process of ongoing generation.