Culture

In bleak times it’s best not to linger on sombre moments, instead, take a look through the screen and find that even though the outside world is still closed off there are still wonders to find. Many places have made the jump to the digital world with more places going under lockdown and art galleries are no different. 

The Ota Fine Arts gallery now offers a special online viewing room for anyone interested to take a virtual scroll through some new upcoming exhibitions at the gallery. There are three different pages to take a gander at with different themes, not unlike a real-life exhibition. With varying styles of art on display as well as audio and video accompaniments just a click away, it would be difficult to resist the temptation. 

Works On Paper 

It’s all about colour in this room. Be led through a vibrant display of distinctive pieces on paper by well-known artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Rina Banerjee and Masanori Handa. The collection displays visceral pieces by the artists that each have a lighthearted sense of playfulness. 

Although Tokyo based Kusama is well known for her dots and circles in exhibitions around the world, the pieces on display are a little quirkier with repeated face motifs and organisms in bright colours. Her artwork evokes feelings of curiosity, like stepping through the Alice in Wonderland looking glass. 

Banerjee’s lithographs and drawings are a mixture of east and west which is no wonder as she is one of the foremost artists of the post-colonial diaspora. Her art is whimsical but also rooted in Indian culture, communicating a series of themes in simple and elegant lines. 

On the other hand, Handa’s work is a contrast to the two previous with bold lines and experimental in a different way. Watercolours and oil pastels used in combination to create interpretations of poems, scenes and sites. Visit the virtual exhibition here.

Pet Shop Guys: Lost in Tokyo 

Take a wander into the intriguing viewing room to get a sneak peek of Chinese art collective Martin Goya Business’ upcoming exhibition in Ota Fine Arts Tokyo. Named after the black cat of founder Cheng Ran, the group has collaborated with nearly 400 artists of all manner of media. This particular exhibition focuses on three specific members ¥ouada, CHILLCHILL and PAPAPEPIA. 

The collection is eclectic and eccentric but stimulating at the same time. One can’t help but be drawn into trying to understand ¥ouada’s reflection of his attitude towards pop culture in his caricatures of daily life, without any grand narratives. Poking fun at and deconstructing commonly-found images with cynicism. 

CHILLCHILL, on the other hand, is all about the grand narrative of globalisation and neocolonialism. The 3D internet artist’s tools of choice are virtual worlds that depict various imagery to suit the artist’s current curiosity. 

PAPAPEPIA’s work revolves around the various ways that the artist can portray the ‘A’, a subject matter that greatly fascinates him. Abstract forms are created on canvases with acrylics and all manner of material. Visit the virtual exhibition here.

Tsuyoshi Hisakado 

As is obvious with the title of this viewing room, the collection here revolves around Japanese artist Tsuyoshi Hisakado. In celebration of how far the artist has come, the exhibition here focuses on some of his earlier works. Hisakado’s practice can range in focus from the mundane aspects of life all the way to the concepts of space and time.

In his installation piece Gale (2017) lightbulbs illuminate the room in a soft yellow glow as they swing in glass vitrines reminding the viewers of passing time. His other work crossfades #4, Rain instead has a latice pattern of numbers from the mathematical constant of pi (π) under blotches and splashes of ink. Visit the virtual exhibition here.