TYPE-XIV Eugene Studio project

A collaborative project with contemporary artist Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO. Through materials and the creative process, this project presents a new frontier where art and clothing intersect, centered around the essential philosophy that “the very existence of things is defined by the coexistence of light and shadow.”

Eugene Kangawa is a Tokyo-based artist born in the United States. Working across painting, installation, and sculpture, he explores the essence of light and shadow, time, and existence. His signature series “Light and shadow inside me” focuses on the interplay between light and existence, and his distinctive techniques of expression have been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.

The series consists of two types of works: those created by sun-fading that result in a turquoise hue, and black-and-white pieces produced using silver gelatin printing paper and photogram techniques. In the black-and-white works, which served as the inspiration for this project, a single sheet of photographic paper is folded into a three-dimensional form in a darkroom and exposed to light from a single source. This unique method captures “only the light and shadow of the object itself,” fixing subtle gradations of light and shadow onto the paper. When unfolded, these pieces, using nothing more than paper and light, reveal a mysterious texture and presence that transcend conventional boundaries of photography and painting, opening up new expressive possibilities.

A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE further evolves this process by returning to the essence of a piece of cloth. Focusing on the relationship between warp and weft—the fundamental elements of woven textiles—the team creates gradations not through dyes or pigments, but by varying the density of the weave using only two thread colors: black and white. This pursuit of complex expression through simple elements conceptually overlaps light-sensitive silver halide grains with the threads of woven material, resulting in a unique textile that can be described as “fabric at the bit level.”

From Eugene Kangawa
This project began about three years ago. I was deeply impressed by everything the A-POC ABLE team accomplished—from expanding the very essence of my work, to creating textiles from scratch, experimenting as if weaving a new language, and ultimately arriving at these remarkable garments.

At the same time, what left a lasting impression on me was the strong alignment with the philosophy of human essence that has long been carried forward within Issey Miyake. Beneath what may initially appear to be a mathematical approach or phenomenological practice lies a profound pursuit of the individual human being’s existence. I felt this resonance deeply, and through repeated trial and error, many fragments of ideas emerged along the way.

“Light and shadow inside me” began with green paintings born from the fading of sunlight. A single-colored sheet—brushed, folded, and entrusted to the sun. A work that begins and ends as a painting, it is the fruit of nearly five years of patient, repeated experimentation to reach its present form.

After that, I began a monochrome series on photographic paper originally used for sketches. This series is not made with paint or print, but through the photographic technique of the photogram, which requires neither camera nor film. Since before the war, artists such as Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, and Ei-Q have created photograms, most often employing motifs such as flowers, hands, or spheres. In contrast, this series attempts to work exclusively with just two elements: the inherent power of paper itself and the power of light, without employing any other objects.

Everything that exists already carries light and shadow within itself, even before forming any relationship with others. What I have sought is a form of painting, or two-dimensional work, in which the piece itself enacts this condition. Though the structure is simple, the interplay of complex factors such as temperature, humidity, and the intensity of light on a given day ensures that no two works ever appear the same. I see this work as a painting that employs light as its medium.

Eugene Kangawa / Eugene Studio
Eugene Kangawa was born in the United States in 1989. Known for his abstract paintings and installations that address themes of time, existence, and history. His solo exhibition “EUGENE STUDIO After the Rainbow” (2021–22) at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo marked him as the youngest artist to hold a solo exhibition at the museum. Following its impact, a permanent museum spanning approximately one hectare is now under construction at the foot of a UNESCO World Heritage site in Bali, initiated by several collectors from Asia and the ASEAN region.

Kangawa creates his work at “Atelier iii,” his largely DIY-built studio in the suburbs of Tokyo, where professionals from diverse fields collaborate on his wide-ranging projects.

His past work includes participation in the group exhibition “de-sport:” at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2020), and “89+” at London’s Serpentine Gallery (2014). Additionally, a short film he presented in the United States was selected for and received awards at several international film festivals.