“Before and After. Before the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami that followed, life flowed in Japan as it had for decades. After 3/11/11, ‘normal’ ceased to have any significant meaning save for a nostalgic, desperate look back at Before. The disaster, the ensuing suffering and the ongoing reshuffling and reprioritizing of society has had a profound effect on Japan’s psyche.
Before 3/11, Japanese artist Yosuke Ueno was inspired as are many artists by numerous themes, undercurrents, and to use his term ‘illusions’. His paintings offered a window onto a magical realm populated by fantastic characters from wide-eyed, rainbow haired girls to mystical guardians. After, everything is changed. There is now one constant, a specific illusion, driving Ueno’s creative output – Japan’s 3/11. His new body of work for ‘The Specific Illusion’ @ Thinkspace, flows from his experience of the trying year after the disaster as well the irrepressible need to look back at what’s been lost. Courtesy of the gallery, here’s an exclusive preview of a selection of his new work which explores tranquility lost, destruction, despair, survival, and resilience. Surrounded by muted, cold grays symbolizing death, Ueno’s brilliant and vibrant groupings of red, green, blue, and yellow, flowing through many of his characters take on a new significance. Where once they showcased boundless energy and spirit contained within our DNA, they now serve in part to tragically accentuate profound loss as well as defiantly cultivate a nation’s ability to heal and move forward.”
Yosuke Ueno ‘The Specific Illusion’
Reception with the artist: THIS Saturday, March 31st 5-8 PM
Thinkspace / 6009 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA / www.thinkspacegallery.com
