Altman Siegel is pleased to announce "It is not far to the sea," an exhibition of new paintings by Shinpei Kusanagi, on view from October 17 through November 15, 2025.
The older I get,
the closer I get to the end,
the more my body becomes transparent,
the lighter it becomes.
That process. That journey.
The sea is not so far away.
There is still a road ahead of me,
and there is a road behind me.
There are still things I must do,
and there are things I no longer need to do.
I will die along the way anyway.
April 14, 2020
I was unable to be with my father in his final moments.
I have been thinking about that ever since.
The shape of his toes was just like mine.
What was all that commotion about?
I will not forgive you.
I will not forgive myself.
Engrave it on your heart.
I will not board any train.
I will not move from here.
That is the thing.
I was waving my hands vigorously.
Someone was supposed to wave back at me vigorously.
But
I just wanted you to see the scene before your eyes.
I just wanted to catch the words that fell from your lips.
But even that has lost its meaning now.
We will never know the truth.
I know very well that the bridge has been burned.
I know it very well!
I wanted to believe in a small fantasy.
The sea is not so far away.
A mirage.
An illusion.
A sandy beach.
-ish
painting.
–Shinpei Kusanagi, Untitled, 2025
Images:
Shinpei Kusanagi
Grow Old, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
23 7/8 x 19 3/4 in
60.6 x 50 cm
#shinpeikusanagi