Visual artist Manabu Gaku Inada re-collaborated with Montana-based painter Ben Miller in the fall of 2022, following Inada's directorial debut with the short film "RHYTHMS OF THE RIVER" in 2021. The subsequent New York exhibition highlighted Gaku's multimedia capabilities, merging analog and digital art forms. Despite their distinct artistic methods, both artists forged a strong connection through their shared passion for art, enabling the exploration of innovative expressions.
The East River Endangered Rivers Project showcased Ben Miller's original painting alongside a digital artwork by Manabu Gaku Inada, which was inspired by Miller's physical works. This 24-foot installation featured six digital monitors, each representing a unique U.S. river and displaying dynamic imagery of the brushstrokes created specifically for those rivers.
Prior to the exhibition, Gaku introduced Miller to Nepenthes, a fashion brand with which he has a longstanding collaboration. The brand South2 West8 developed a special apparel line for Fall/Winter 2022 that incorporated Miller's artwork as textiles.
To coincide with the apparel announcement, an exhibition was held at the Nepenthes NY flagship store on September 16th, in collaboration with (Not)Gagosian, a conceptual artist group led by Gene Na.
Endangered Rivers Project
Nepenthes NY: 307 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018
September 16th, 2022
Artist: Manabu Gaku Inada, Ben Miller
Year: 2022
Nepenthes NY: 307 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018
September 16th, 2022
Artist: Manabu Gaku Inada, Ben Miller
Year: 2022
The six displays represent six American rivers, simulating their changes over a 24-hour period
in approximately six-minute cycles.
Ben Miller utilizes Plexiglass as a medium, painting with a fly fishing rod. Gaku captures the artwork digitally and then deconstructs it into layers, reflecting the riverbed to the surface according to Ben's painting methodology.
Digital effects are subsequently applied to these layers to simulate water flow, adhering to principles of fluid mechanics. This includes slow undercurrents along the banks and rapid flows in the center. Ben's expertise in river fishing significantly contributed to introducing analog imperfections into the digital representation.
Upon deciding to project video art onto six monitors, each depicting a different river, Gaku proposed illustrating the river's transformation over a 24-hour cycle in a six-minute looped video with color separation. He believed that combining dynamic video movement with variations in color, saturation, and brightness could convey ambient and therapeutic effects to viewers.
The layers were organized in 3D space using advanced digital tools, and special effects
were added to enhance the presentation.
Ben Miller and Manabu Gaku Inada conducted a comprehensive meeting at the Nepenthes flagship store in New York.
Digital artworks measuring 12 x 12 inches were also displayed alongside Ben's original pieces.
Ben Miller is engaging in a discussion with Daiki Suzuki, the president of Nepenthes US.
From left to right: Gene Na, Ben Miller, and Manabu Gaku Inada.
