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EIJI SUMI
Oneline Drawing 

One Line Drawing 

One-Line Drawing is a series in which complex scenes of real urban environments are rendered through a single, continuous line. The drawings depict locations that Eiji Sumi has visited in cities around the world, including New York and Amsterdam. Rather than constructing images through conventional layered composition, the scenes emerge from one uninterrupted line that moves fluidly across the surface, connecting architectural structures, streets, and urban elements into a unified visual field. This method creates a sense of tension and instability, as the entire image depends on the continuity of a single gesture. The line functions simultaneously as structure, movement, and narrative, capturing the dynamism and density of metropolitan spaces. Through this continuous drawing process, the complexity of the city becomes condensed into a fragile yet energetic network of lines, suggesting both the interconnectedness and the precarious balance of contemporary urban life.

As noted by curator Eric Shiner, the effect of this technique produces “a tension-ridden feeling of instability in excess,” reflecting the overwhelming and constantly shifting nature of global cities.

Curated by Eric Shiner

2007

Onishi Gallery, Chelsea, New York