Connoisseur Contemporary is proud to present the solo exhibition of renowned international contemporary artist, Oscar Oiwa this Spring. Born of Japanese descent in São Paulo, Brazil in 1965, Oiwa has become one of today’s most important Japanese contemporary artists known for his works which depict the impact of globalization and environment.
Oscar Oiwa was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 and also the important Krasner – Pollock Foundation Grant among other awards, and has held numerous solo exhibitions around the world. His works are reflections of modernity based on drawings, photomontages, anime and science fiction films, and they can found in the permanent collections of many important museums including The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Mori Museum of Art, Phoenix Museum of Art, and the Prince Albert II Monaco Foundation, among others.
Not only is Oscar Oiwa considered one of the most accomplished artists to record the impact of globalization and the environment, he is also praised for his unique style and representation; influenced by both Japanese art and from the West in varied forms. His work hints of the byobu (Japanese folding screen with several joined panels) and contemporary manga (Japanese comics and print cartoons), and sometimes of old masters such as surrealist artist René Magritte, post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh and French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. With his unique flair of cartoon pop infused with a dark atmosphere, Oiwa has become known for his witty and thought-provoking images. The use of contrast of colour, image and sentiment also creates a psychological backdrop to the overpowering situations that he is trying to depict. In addition, Oiwa has become a “globalized” artist whose experiences in the different cities he stayed in have culminated in a montage of landscapes mirroring current events and world issues.
This exhibition is the second solo show of Oiwa’s in Hong Kong, and will be held in Connoisseur Art Gallery. Comprising of large-scale three-panel as well as two single-panel works in different series, the show will be a perfect and rare opportunity to view the wide-ranging subjects and representations by Oiwa, and promises to be an eye-opener. The painting “Light Waves” (2011) for example, is reminiscent of van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and depicts an urban landscape. “Snow Day” (2011) carries definitive characteristics of Oiwa’s work; with a sense of satirical humour based on his personal understanding of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. A much earlier work “Black Snow II” (2003) that has a similar concept and also depicts Rio de Janeiro, is now in the collection of Arizona State University Art Museum.
Another highlight of the show is Oiwa’s three-panel work, “Bathtub Man”. The idea of a “tin man”, soaking and relaxing in a hot bath, came from natural hot springs in Japan; known for their medicinal and healing power. Part of Oiwa’s originality is his use of an overwhelming scale to depict a world closely familiar to us and yet completely unexpected.
