Rei Naito – Face (the joys were greater)
1. Mai – 14. Juni 2026
Eröffnung: Freitag, 1. Mai 2026 | 18–21 Uhr
Sa & So | 11 – 18 Uhr
LOOCK Galerie is delighted to announce the solo show of Rei Naito Face (the joys were greater). It will run in parallel to the exhibition color beginning at the Pinakothek der Moderne Munich (May 6 – August 30, 2026).
In dialogue with the gallery space, the artist places three compositions of four sculptures and two additional sculptural bodies of work. Each Face forms a set with a single Grace, made with floral-print fabric, and a tiny glass bead hung from the ceiling. Return the secret to the world is presented as a set with 1 – 3. An infinite space of light created by mirrors placed on the floor and ceiling. Recurring titles, motifs, and materials in the oeuvre of Rei Naito engage the viewer's subconscious within a delicate balance of contraction and release, expanding and deepening the interpretation of the works. Naito often describes her works in terms of circulation between „inside of life“ and „outside of life“.
1 Face (the joys were greater), 2024
Face (the joys were greater) was created by chance more than thirty years ago. One day, Naito was worked up and was about to throw some printed matter that was attached to the wall away. Noticing that it was a person, she decided to put it back. The artist sensed an abrupt conversion of meaning in the woman’s smile that appeared. From then on, she is said to have been collecting images of "smiling women“.
2 untitled, 2024
A tiny glass bead on nylon thread hanging from the ceiling.
3 Grace, 2024
The small pieces of printed cloth in Grace (2018) suggest the size based on a diameter of 78 mm for existence that is granted to humans when they are first born into this world. The printed cloth (2024) depicting grass in recent works has become a scene of blooming flowers.
4 Return the secret to the world, 2024
Two mirrors installed facing each other symbolizing infinitely continuing space. Each of the matching mirrors and their world spreads not only through the reflection of each mirror but also toward the outer world. At the moment we intervene in the space between the two mirrors, eternity disappears. It reveals violence hidden in our behavior that is pure and unconscious. The size of the mirror carries the same meaning as in Grace (fabric). When one breathes onto Grace, although it is not visible to the person themselves, a sense of life is eternally reflected in the mirror.
5 color beginning, 2026
Colored wool yarn is delicately tied with ribbons of thread and is surrendering to gravity. The colors of the thread and yarn sway slightly with changing sunlight within the day. Color temporarily departs from meaning and relational context, returning to its singularity.
The text is written citing and quoting texts from Reiko Setsuda of the exhibition catalogue Rei Naito: come and live – go and live at National Museum Tokyo, 2024.
Rei Naito (*1961, Hiroshima, Japan) lives and works in Tokyo. She graduated from the College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University (1985). She gained prominence with One Place on The Earth at the Sagacho Exhibit Space (1991). This work was shown in the Japanese Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale (1997).
Notable solo exhibitions were held at Tokyo National Museum, Ginza Maison Hermès (2024), Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München (2023), Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (2020), Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki (2018), Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv (2017), The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris (2017), Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo (2014), The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, Kanagawa (2009), Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt am Main (1997), The National Museum of Art, Osaka (1995).
Works by Rei Naito belong to the following private and public collections: Deutsche Bank (Germany), The Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA), Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt/Main, Germany) and Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo, Japan). Permanent works are to be seen at Kinza, an Art House Project (Naoshima, "Being given", since 2001) and at Teshima Art Museum ("Matrix", since 2010).