We are pleased to announce “Good Night My Friends”, Ryosuke KAWAHIRA’s first solo exhibition at gallery UG Osaka Umeda, held from May 15 to June 4, 2024.


Ryosuke KAWAHIRA, who has been one of the gallery’s exclusive artists, was selected from the 2019 UG Project “KONSHIN-TEN”, which is a part of our activities to discover and nurture young artists for around 20 years now.
Recently, he has been making his mark in various places through his remarkable activities, including a solo show at Ginza Tsutaya, a group exhibition in Macau, a solo exhibition at gallery UG Tennoz, and participating in Art Fair Tokyo.

KAWAHIRA transferred the traumas from his imaginative childhood into unique works of art. Using actual briefs as canvas, he depicts the nightmares he had and the ghosts and monsters he imagined.
It seems to be an atonement for the fact that he wet his briefs when he was a child because he could not go to the bathroom in time.

In recent years, he has begun to work more on canvas, and the brief that used to be his material to paint on, has appeared as a hero in his paintings. As his child was born and grew up, the characters overlapped with his own childhood memories and came to be projected more vividly.
At the same time, his work, composed of clear, bold outlines and simple, vividly colored backgrounds, and further comicalized, contains elements of Superflat which has been gaining attention in the contemporary Japanese art scene.


"I wonder where the ghosts and monsters I met in my dreams when I was a child have gone.
As I grew older, my dreams began to become more real, I stopped having nightmares, I don't wear briefs anymore, and I no longer wet the bed.
The battle of bedwetting came to an end, and peace at last...
'Good Night' is a signal for them to fight.
I am sure that in someone's dreams, the bed-wetting battle may still be raging."

Ryosuke KAWAHIRA

gallery UG Tennoz is excited to announce the Rei ITAYA Photo Exhibition "RAW," running from May 17 (Fri) to June 1 (Sat).

Rei ITAYA brings to life a unique approach to photography by arranging vegetables and other natural subjects, often on her dining room table or during her travels. She uses natural light to capture the essence and presence of her subjects in each photograph. Some images burst with vivid colors, while others portray vegetables with a distinct sense of intention. The resulting compositions are both graceful and vibrant, evoking a subtle tension that captivates viewers.

ITAYA's work suggests that her subjects possess a will of their own, seemingly existing solely for the purpose of being photographed. This impression is further enhanced when viewers notice the titles of her photographs, such as "Carrots in Sesame Oil and Salt, Autumn" and "Beef Stew, Autumn." These titles refer to actual dishes that ITAYA prepared and consumed. The subjects, once living, are transformed into "food" after being photographed, emphasizing the transient nature of their beauty.

As viewers explore the exhibition, they are invited to consider the narrative behind each image. The photographs alone convey a powerful story, but the titles add another layer of meaning, prompting visitors to imagine the journey from ingredient to dish.

ITAYA's photography extends beyond mere visual capture, inviting the viewer's imagination to play a key role in experiencing the artwork. It combines the documentary aspect of photography with artistic expression, blurring the lines between them.

We warmly invite you to visit the gallery and experience Rei ITAYA's captivating work for yourself.


gallery UG



“When I hear the hum of the processor as the developer works in the dark of my color darkroom, I feel like I'm diving deeper and deeper into the unknown. It's a moment to reflect on a slice of reality, to ponder the speed at which memory and emotion operate, and to contemplate the process of observing and recording.

As I embraced digital photography, my places for reflection expanded beyond the darkroom to the dining room. There, I read extensively, listened to stories, shared meals, and developed strategies to bring my ideas to life. This didn't just happen at home—it followed me on my journeys.

I live this way because there are moments when what's in front of me has such a profound impact that it goes beyond anything I could have anticipated. The drive to understand is compelling, but sometimes what we think we know is challenged, leaving us stunned by the reality.

I remember thinking at the dinner table, 'If I'd been born on a planet hundreds of millions of light-years away, I might have felt drawn to evolution and oceans, eager to explore Earth.' This idea evolved into my art piece.

Similarly, the notion that 'Creatures eat other creatures, and water, though it seems tangible, isn't' might be a key point if I were compiling a report on Earth's exploration.”


Rei ITAYA