“I want to create a surface that expresses dialogue beyond words, our mind affectively, and resistance forcefully.” This is what Hanazawa said to me at his solo exhibition 26 years ago. It isn’t difficult for the audience to imagine that his expressive spirit still lives on. The indented surface is the important element in portraying his ‘resistance.’ He places wimpled a canvas over the shaped board before he applies the color. The interaction between the shaped board, wimpled canvas, and the thickly rendered paints produce the indented surface all over the plain, and conveys what he calls ‘resistance.’ Furthermore, for Hanazawa’s work, instead of using words such as ‘paint’ or ‘render,’ it is appropriate to use the verb ‘place’ when describing how he applies paints on canvas. By boldly using a painting knife or leaving traces of his brushstrokes, the surface obtains not only density but also vivid chromatic effects. The rhythm of organic colors that emerges out of his canvas evokes the scenery of Southern France from high above, or the idyllic countryside of South Italy. Dense and forceful, while possessing a flexible beauty - that is the true virtu of Hanazwa’s artwork. ------Kei Tateshima, Director of Sato Museum