TOKYO.- MAKI Gallery is presenting Undersurface, a solo exhibition by Kamakura-based artist Anne Kagioka Rigoulet. This exhibition, held at the Tennoz gallery space, marks the 10th anniversary of her Reflection series, which has been the main focus of her creative practice since its inception in 2014. The show reflects on the origins of this series and showcase the latest works of the past decade.

The title of this exhibition, Undersurface, embodies Kagioka’s deep-seated desire to visualise “hidden layers and invisible worlds beyond mere surface appearances,” a sentiment she has imbued in her work from the very beginning. In this series, the artist is not seeking to recreate the images reflected on water surfaces but rather to capture what lies beneath and behind the perceivable realm—such as the energy that shapes nature, the ambience and sensations of a place, and the movements and forces that emerge during the process of abstraction where tangible forms lose their original shapes. These elements are then brought to life on canvas as paintings.

The resulting works are never about interpretations or specific narratives. Instead, Kagioka seeks to explore the inherent potential of painting itself, avoiding the imposition of words or figurative images. By delving into the essence of painting—what moment to capture, what composition to depict, what colour and material texture to apply, and how to create a painting surface that directly affects someone’s deepest sensibilities—her work brings forth vigour and dynamism.

In this exhibition, Kagioka places particular emphasis on her continued dedication to the exploration of colour, investigating the balance and interplay of hues and saturation in each piece. Alongside meticulously chosen colours, she employs the classical mural technique known as sgraffito and fabric collages to create varied surface textures and volumes, further expanding the diversity of her work. The watercolour studies displayed alongside the finished pieces offer insight into Kagioka’s unique use of colour and the process by which the three-dimensional quality of her work emerges, providing viewers with a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey.

Additionally, Kagioka has recently developed a new technique beyond her established method of adding volume to the surface. By carving into the surface to create indentations she reveals formerly concealed layers. This innovative approach signifies a new stage in her lifelong attempt to break free of the flat nature of painting.

Reflecting on the past decade, Kagioka states, “I have reached this point by continually facing each piece and constantly striving to develop and transform various elements.” Her sincere engagement with painting—pursuing its history, limits, and possibilities—has led her to the creation of works with sculptural spatiality that only Kagioka can produce. This practice, which has evolved over the ten years since the birth of the series, continues to do so even now. We invite you to experience the layers of the world beneath the surface, unveiled by Kagioka’s relentless pursuit of the depths of painting.

Written by Haruna Takeda

Born in 1987 in Kanagawa, Japan, Anne Kagioka Rigoulet received a BFA in Oil Painting in 2011 followed by an MFA in Mural Painting in 2013 from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Kagioka went on to enroll in Fresco and Mosaic at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art in Paris and continued her studies in Fresco at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She eventually established her own studio in Kamakura, where she lives and works today.

Kagioka’s distinctly textured paintings utilize a unique method that combines fabric collage with sgraffito (“to scratch” in Italian), a classic technique used in mural decor where multiple layers of paint are applied, then scraped away to reveal the colors underneath. The artist’s interest lies in capturing the ephemeral moment when a familiar landscape transforms into an abstract vision, and in 2014, she began her signature Reflection series—sculptural paintings based on studies of water reflections from around the world. This later led to her Figure series, which depicts human figures as their reflections are fragmented by wavering water surfaces. In 2019, Kagioka’s experience at an artist residency program in Luxembourg birthed the Element series, in which she captures the country’s mammoth rock formations—gradually carved from millennia of water erosion—by thinly layering acrylic paint on bare canvas. The expressive modes explored in these three bodies of work were further developed in the artist’s Portrait series, which harnesses the fluid energy of water to deconstruct and reassemble individual faces. Kagioka’s paintings, composed of striking yet delicate colors, vacillate between abstract and representational, two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, all the while continuing to fascinate viewers with their keen aesthetic insight and endless evolution.

The artist’s solo exhibitions include Addition - Subtraction, MAKI Gallery (Tokyo, 2022); Transition, MAKI Gallery (Tokyo, 2021); A Moment of Immersion, MAKI Gallery (Tokyo, 2018); Reflection: 2015-16, MAKI Gallery (Tokyo, 2016); and Anne Kagioka Rigoulet, MAKI Gallery (Paris, 2014). She has also participated in various group shows and mural projects in Japan and Europe, as well as multiple art fairs across the globe. In 2023, Kagioka was included in ABSTRACTION: The Genesis and Evolution of Abstract Painting, a major exhibition at the Artizon Museum in Tokyo, as one of the emerging contemporary artists who pursue new forms of creative expression while carrying on the traditions of abstract painting from the twentieth century. Kagioka’s work is also part of the Artizon Museum’s permanent collection.