The solo exhibition “KYORAI (去来): Coming and Going” by Japanese artist Akihiko Sugiura (Hyogo, 1979) is the result of a collaboration between Premio Arte Laguna and JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY(New Orleans), which selected Akihiko as the winner of the Special “Artist in Gallery” Award of the 13th edition of Premio Arte Laguna.
The exhibition will be on view from May 29 to July 15 at the gallery space in New Orleans, USA. The opening will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 6 to 9 p.m.
JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY was immediately attracted to the artist’s dreamlike figurative paintings. His body of work rejects conventional views of painting, and his moving, imaginative and slightly disturbing images challenge the very idea of portraiture through the use of landscape and abstract motifs. At the same time, the artist wants to bring viewers back to reality through the inclusion of empty spaces and the arrangement of concrete materials on the canvas. The gallery has always sought to exhibit works by innovative artists who push the limits of their medium and style, and Akihiko’s work succeeds in doing just that. In his paintings, Akihiko depicts characters that represent various questions of modern times such as: Are we dead or alive? What is gender? Are humans something else? Real or virtual? As the artist himself states, “In my work, there is also a sense of being invited back into a world of imagination. Everything can be interpreted in many ways. This vision is connected to and inspired by Buddhist and Zen philosophy and its worldview.” Works of art take on different meanings when viewed by people, and there are no misinterpretations, as art cannot escape the gaze and interpretation of people who appreciate it.
With the special “Artist in Gallery” awards, the Arte Laguna Prize has created a format of collaboration with international galleries that gives them the opportunity to see a wide range of artistic proposals selected by an international jury and offers artists the chance to hold a solo exhibition in prestigious galleries around the world.
KYORAI (去来): Coming and Going from 29.05 to 15.07.2019 at JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY – inauguration 29.05.2019.