The contemporary Japanese art exhibition Bye Bye Kitty at Japan Society is a must-see for anyone who loves labor-intensive detail oriented work.
I particularly enjoyed Hisashi Tenmyouya’s Defeat at a Single Blow, Robust and Magnificient Feature, (Galland and Brave Behavior, 2008, Acrylic and gold leaf on wood, 70″ x 24″). His meticulous elegant lines contrasted nicely with perfect gold-leafed background.
Another artist that stood out for me is Manabu Ikeda, who makes very large, detailed drawings on paper with pen and acrylic ink. The details, which is hard to see even in good reproductions and filled with fantastic figures, houses, mini-landscapes, etc. , were incredible.
Manabu Ikeda, History of Rise and Fall, 2006. Pen and acrylic ink on paper, mounted on board, 79″x79″.
Kira Nam Greene’s work explores female sexuality, desire and control through figure and food still-life paintings, surrounded by complex patterns. Imbuing the feminist legacies of Pattern and Decoration Movement with transnational, multicultural motifs, Greene creates colorful paintings that are unique combinations of realism and abstraction, employing diverse media such as oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor and colored pencil. Combining Pop Art tropes and transnationalism, she also examines the politics of food through the depiction of brand name food products, or junk food. Recently, Greene started a figurative painting series spurred by the 2016 Presidential Election, Women’s March, #metoo movement and ensuing crisis of conscience, this new body of work aspires to present the power of collective action by women.