GALLERY MoMo Projects is pleased to preset the third solo exhibition of Masumi Sakamoto titled Masumi Ginza. The name of title, Ginza is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world and became a kind of brand name for Japanese commercial areas; there are many commercial shopping streets named Ginza in the countryside of Japan. Sakamoto developed the theme of Ginza to show people who live in the unpolished area and long for a big city, but find the pleasure days in the nostalgic place by giving optimistic atmosphere.

Sakamoto used to cut the woods with the figure of boy faces and bodies, and paint on them. As a result, the artist succeeded in eliminating extra background and emphasizing the characteristics of the boys.

In the recent works, Sakamoto depicts half naked boys and girls with the slender bodies and the remarkable flushed skins; the artist attempts to show what exist under our skins with oil on canvas. They posed like fashion models or pop stars in the forests where seem to create for the stage decorations. The androgynous boys in her painting do not have strong sexual impressions because they are like the characters in fairy tales; they are far from the real men. However, there is no borderline between the real world and the ideal world in her paintings. In fact, Sakamoto brings her fantasy into the real world without any hurdles and shows her unique perspective of the world.    Sakamoto covers the current tough situations and atmospheres in the society with her optimistic expressions, which are unselfconscious and audacious.

Masumi Sakamoto was born 1982 in Osaka and studied etching at Osaka University of Arts. After graduating from the university, the artist has showed mainly in Tokyo and Osaka. In this show, Sakamoto will exhibit about 20 latest works included painting and drawings.

*image (left)
courtesy of the artist and Gallery MoMo