HIGHLIGHT

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Hiroshi Senju’s “Building Series” represents a series of works that could be called the “starting point” of his career as a painter. These works were created between roughly 1984 and 1996 and were based on themes he began exploring shortly after entering Tokyo University of the Arts. The landscapes are filled with memories of the artist, who was born and raised in the metropolis of Tokyo, exploring the deserted streets of buildings alone after school during his elementary school years. Later, he described this approach as wanting to “paint what I knew.”

Senju grew up in the city of Tokyo. He attended an elementary school in Azabu, near Tokyo Port (Tokyo Bay) and Tokyo Tower. On his way home, he would take the train to Shibuya or walk, passing through neighborhoods that stretched from Minato Ward to Shibuya Ward. At that time, these areas were filled with older buildings. Each building had stairways and rooftop access that could be freely explored, making them ideal for a child’s sense of adventure. Instead of climbing trees or mountains, city children secretly sneaked into abandoned buildings, climbed fire escapes, or scaled fences to reach the rooftops, delighting in their little adventures.

These explorations of the spaces inside old, abandoned buildings eventually became journeys reminiscent of a labyrinth, full of fascination and allure. Corridors solidified with cement, walls and floors weathered by time and the elements, and rows of gray, old buildings stretching to the horizon—all these formed landscapes that may have seemed strangely beautiful. The half-tones of the sky just before sunset and the crimson hues dyed by the setting sun gave even the familiar everyday scenery a fresh perspective.

During junior high and high school, he attended school in Hiyoshi, Yokohama, and his family moved to the suburbs. At times, due to treatments for back pain, he also spent lonely hours by himself. However, when he began attending a preparatory school in Shinjuku to prepare for the Tokyo University of the Arts entrance exams, the view of the early morning sky between the Shinjuku buildings left a psychological impression on him—a mix of sadness and refreshment, as well as a nostalgic feeling that recalled forgotten childhood memories.

By the time he entered the university, the nostalgic landscapes of his youth had largely disappeared, replaced by modern glass-covered buildings. Still, whenever he found an older building amidst the new constructions, he felt a strong emotional pull, running toward it and climbing to the rooftop to take in the view. Although the scenery was completely new and different from his childhood, fragments of his early memories seemed to connect like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

During his student years, he would wander the streets of Tokyo with a sketchbook in hand, capturing scenes with complete absorption. The works in the “Building Series” reveal the original landscapes and memories that form the foundation of Hiroshi Senju’s artistic vision.