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Koichi Sato "Specifically Random"
Nanzuka Underground
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Artists
Koichi Sato
Nanzuka is pleased to present “Specifically Random,” an exhibition of new works by New York-based Japanese artist Koichi Sato at Nanzuka Underground (Jingumae, Shibuya). This marks the artist’s first solo presentation in his native Japan.
Sato cites old American magazines from the 1970s and 1980s as his preferred image source. From professional wrestlers to baseball players, cheerleaders, bodybuilders, bands, astronauts, and ordinary people, there is no set subject for Sato’s paintings, only choices that arise naturally from his own interests. Although these unconditionally cheerful characters are at once somewhat nostalgic, they present the impression of being strangely disconnected from specifications such as time, place, race, ideology, and culture. This is indeed significantly related to Sato’s unpretentious, down-to-earth personality, as an artist who expresses a desire to be “more mindlessly absorbed in the act of painting.”
Sato’s work stands in contrast to the kind of highbrow art that requires extensive explanation. There is a reason why his work is loved by so many in a city like New York that constantly finds itself in the midst of rapid change while always demanding competition. For instance, many might notice the symbolic polydactyly of the subjects depicted. Sato presents a unique explanation for this, mentioning that he simply stops after painting as many fingers he feels necessary, thereby enabling us to imagine the thoughts and intentions that serve to inform this decision. Sato has always stated that he wants people to laugh when they see his work. He dislikes assumptions that people should or must be a certain way, instead actively pursuing humor and the open-mindedness that resides within it. As a result, the characters Sato depicts, whether they may be famous superstars or unknown neighbors, are ultimately all presented as ‘slightly peculiar people’ that all permeate with the same naivete and cheerfulness.
This exhibition brings together more than a dozen or so new paintings that Sato has been working on for over a year.
Sato cites old American magazines from the 1970s and 1980s as his preferred image source. From professional wrestlers to baseball players, cheerleaders, bodybuilders, bands, astronauts, and ordinary people, there is no set subject for Sato’s paintings, only choices that arise naturally from his own interests. Although these unconditionally cheerful characters are at once somewhat nostalgic, they present the impression of being strangely disconnected from specifications such as time, place, race, ideology, and culture. This is indeed significantly related to Sato’s unpretentious, down-to-earth personality, as an artist who expresses a desire to be “more mindlessly absorbed in the act of painting.”
Sato’s work stands in contrast to the kind of highbrow art that requires extensive explanation. There is a reason why his work is loved by so many in a city like New York that constantly finds itself in the midst of rapid change while always demanding competition. For instance, many might notice the symbolic polydactyly of the subjects depicted. Sato presents a unique explanation for this, mentioning that he simply stops after painting as many fingers he feels necessary, thereby enabling us to imagine the thoughts and intentions that serve to inform this decision. Sato has always stated that he wants people to laugh when they see his work. He dislikes assumptions that people should or must be a certain way, instead actively pursuing humor and the open-mindedness that resides within it. As a result, the characters Sato depicts, whether they may be famous superstars or unknown neighbors, are ultimately all presented as ‘slightly peculiar people’ that all permeate with the same naivete and cheerfulness.
This exhibition brings together more than a dozen or so new paintings that Sato has been working on for over a year.
Schedule | Mar 22 (Fri) 2024-Apr 28 (Sun) 2024 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Mar 22 (Fri) 2024 18:00 - 20:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://nanzuka.com/en/exhibitions/koichi-sato-specifically-random/press-release | ||||
| Venue | Nanzuka Underground http://www.nug.jp | ||||
| Location | 3-30-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit 5 at Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, 10 minute walk from the Takeshita exit of Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5422-3877 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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