Colorful, playful, abstract and historical are some of the words that describe the work of Japanese artist Tomokazu Matsuyama. The Japanese artists’s work is a mixture of post-war contemporary art and pop culture. The subject matter in his paintings demonstrate the differences between the western and eastern cultures. According to Joshua Liner Gallery, Matsuyama said that he hopes to “render traditional icons and imagery within a broader ether of an international intermix that has become the evolution of what seems to be the urban-ideal of the global contemporary.” As you can see from his works above, Matsuyama’s work is abstract and leads the audience to enter a fantasy world. Despite the complex and abstract images, the artist’s work clearly shows how his work is about integrating into a new world order of urban cosmopolitanism. 

For more information regarding Matsuyama’s work, please visit matzu.net

Renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is holding an exhibition titled ‘Ego’ at the Al Riwaq Exhibition Hall in Doha, Qatar. This exhibition is the artist’s first exhibition in the Middle East, showcasing more than 60 works and is the single largest display of Murakami’s artwork that span from 1997 to the present. According to Design Boom, ‘the overall presentation depcits the portrait of the artist as a cartoon, illuminating his role as a cipher and critic of pop phenomena, as well as a mirror of global networks of consumerism, interpretation and exchange.’ Murakami’s exhibition combines elements of contemporary culture and art history, while also experimenting with joyful characteristics that is displayed in his work.

For more information regarding this exhibition, please visit designboom.com

Japanese artist Takanori Aiba combines ‘bonsai art from with Lilliputian architecture design’ to create unique and stunning art pieces. Aiba’s designs are not inspired by real structures. Instead, his creations are all apart of his imagination. Because the details of his work are so realistic, many people tend to think that he copies the designs of real buildings. According to Aiba, each piece is so complex and detailed that it takes him anywhere from three months to a year and a half to complete.

For more information on Aiba’s work, please visit tokyogoodidea.com

Yoshitomo Nara was born in 1959 in Hirosaki, Japan. The Japanese artist lives and works in Tokyo and received his B.F.A. and M.F.A from the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music. Since 1984, Nara has had over 40 solo exhibitions and is represented by several prestigious galleries around the world. As one of the leading artists of Japan’s Neo Pop art scene, Nara is known for his deceptively simple illustrations of children and animals. Although his work does not seem complicated, Nara’s artwork is unique because beneath all the colors and visual outline of his works, Nara is able to convey a message that causes the audience to elicit personal emotions and feelings. In many of Nara’s works, we see cute little girls holding weapons and dangerous items, which represents the feelings of helplessness and isolation experienced in our society today.

Yoskay Yamamoto was born and raised in Toba, Japan. He moved to the United States when he was 15 years old and became a self taught illustrator. Yamamoto is respected among urban art collectors and he is becoming more famous in the art scene. His work combines elements of East and West, where he integrates the pop iconic characters from the Western culture with the traditional and magical elements from the Japanese culture. As you can see from his works above, the amount of texture Yamamoto uses in his work is amazing. Moreover, his choice of color is excellent. He does a very fine job blending in different colors, making sure that the image does not appear too sharp or bright. Yamamoto’s work captures the audience’s attention by bringing them into a mysterious, yet exciting world filled with mythical creatures.

For more information on Yamamoto’s work, please visit yoskay.com 

Japanese artist Tomohiro Inaba creates interesting and unique steel wire sculptures. His work gives a dream-like animated feel for the object at hand. The pictures above showcases sculptures of a skull, legs and a deer. Part of Inaba’s style is to make the objects in his work appear to be disintegrating in mid-air.

For more information on Inaba’s work, please visit tomohiro-inaba.com

(Source: lookinart.net)