Naohiko Kuriyaki | 《epica-after-The Failed Dialogue of Four Dharmadhatus (The Emergence of Conversation)》

■ Curator's Note

"Painting is dead, but pictures cannot die." — Starting from this proposition, Naohiko Kuriyaki traces back to pre-pictorial methods that were universal before the Renaissance — icons, Yamato-e, cave paintings. By layering crayon, colored pencil, sign marker, tempera, and more, and interweaving the acts of "drawing" and "writing" within the picture plane, he summons the mark-making that predates institutional painting onto large-format paper.

Drawing from Huayan Buddhism's "Four Dharmadhatus" — the Dharmadhatu of Principle, the Dharmadhatu of Phenomena, the Dharmadhatu of the Non-Obstruction of Principle and Phenomena, and the Dharmadhatu of the Non-Obstruction of Phenomena and Phenomena — Kuriyaki chooses the paradoxical theme of "the failure of dialogue." When communication breaks down, when words fail to reach — within that very "failure," something comes to be. This logic of reversal mirrors the structure of the series itself, in which drawing and writing mutually fail each other yet succeed together, declaring that something emerges precisely where contact dissolves.

■ About the Artist

Naohiko Kuriyaki graduated from Kyushu University's Graduate School of Design (Department of Design Strategy) in 2014 and continues to create from his base in Fukuoka. Through a distinctive methodology of layering crayon, colored pencil, sign marker, tempera, and more, he produces large-format drawings in which the acts of drawing and writing intertwine and entangle.

In 2024, he received the Grand Prize at the 21st Century Art Borderless Exhibition (National Art Center, Tokyo). In 2023, he was selected for the New York Open Exhibition and SHIBUYA ART AWARD. In 2025, his works were featured on the international art e-commerce platform Singulart.

■ Condition & Specs

• Title: epica-after-四法界対談の失敗（会話の成立）
• Year: 2026
• Medium: Crayon, colored pencil, sign marker, tempera on paper
• Size: 109.2 × 78.8 cm (W × H)
• Signature: Signed; unique work
• Condition: Excellent

■ Guarantee

This gallery is an authorized dealer under a direct representation agreement with the artist. Every work is accompanied by a gallery-issued Certificate of Authenticity, permanently guaranteeing its provenance and authenticity.

| Contact Us |