Katsutoshi Yuasa's brand new series 'Almost Immortal Venice', comprises four hand-carved woodcut prints, in celebration of this year's Venice Biennale!

 

With 130 years of history, the Venice Biennale is considered one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. Fun fact: Gonkar Gyatso was previously invited to exhibit in the Arsenale of the 53rd Venice Biennale!

The 60th Biennale Arte has been curated by Adriano Pedrosa, the artistic director of the São Paulo Museum of Art, with Sir John Akomfrah RA representing Great Britain, filling the British Pavilion with his piece 'Listening All Night To The Rain'.

 

Katsutoshi Yuasa | Almost Immortal Venice #1 | 2024 | Oil-based woodcut on Izumi paper | Lithography ink | Image size 59 x 91 cm | Paper size 69 x 101 cm | Edition of 10 + 3 A.P's | £1,800

 

Having graduated from RCA in 2006, Katsutoshi Yuasa has since breathed new life into the traditional technique of Japanese woodcut, bringing it into contemporary art practice by introducing the digital image into his process.

 

Katsutoshi Yuasa | Almost Immortal Venice #2 | 2024 | Oil-based woodcut on Izumi paper | Lithography ink | Image size 59 x 91 cm | Paper size 69 x 101 cm | Edition of 10 + 3 A.P's | £1,800

 

Using his own photographs as subjects, Katsutoshi merges tradition with modernity, spending weeks reinterpreting the digital 'snapshot' into carved wood, as a process of abstracting the real.

 

 

By combining such a time consuming process with a fleeting subject matter, translating light and shadow into wood, the emotional character of the scene takes shape, and the finished woodcut is somewhat removed from the reality of the original image. The result is more of a visualised memory, making visible "something which is perceived but no one sees."

 

 

"Carving a wood block is neither a copy of a photograph nor a record of my experience. The carving process is like a journey of shedding light on a place of the world."

 

Katsutoshi Yuasa | Almost Immortal Venice #3 | 2024 | Oil-based woodcut on Izumi paper | Lithography ink | Image size 59 x 91 cm | Paper size 69 x 101 cm | Edition of 10 + 3 A.P's | £1,800

 

These new woodcuts commemorate the Venice Biennale 2024 through a celebration of the architecture and everyday life of Venice itself. Spotlighting the characteristic Venetian Gothic architecture of the city, and featuring traditional gondolas cruising down the canal, these pieces further Katsutoshi's practice of transforming ephemeral, mundane moments of everyday life into dense, hauntingly preserved scenes.

 

Katsutoshi Yuasa | Almost Immortal Venice #4 | 2024 | Oil-based woodcut on Izumi paper | Lithography ink | Image size 59 x 91 cm | Paper size 69 x 101 cm | Edition of 10 + 3 A.P's | £1,800

 

Katsutoshi Yuasa's new 'Almost Immortal Venice' prints are now available on our website, where you can also browse and purchase all of Katsutoshi's available work.

 

 

 

You can also see other works by Katsutoshi at the RA Summer Exhibition 2024, from June 18th - August 18th!

 

 

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2024
Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J OBE

Friends of the RA go free!

Opening Hours
Tuesday 18th June - Sunday 18th August
Tues - Sun - 10AM - 6PM
Fri- 10am -9PM

Get your tickets here!

You can also browse and buy from the full Summer Exhibition catalogue now!

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