AI KOWADA GALLERY

EXHIBITION

Rico OGATA

"Outside The Box"

Open every day 14-18 in the period above.
Nov. 19, 2016 (Sat.) -
Nov. 27, 2016 (Sun.)
Otherwise by appointment till Dec. 4, 2016 (Sun.)

Upcoming

Rico Ogata "Blue Blue,Mt. Fuji,2015" canvas on acrylic 275x220cm

Rico OGATA, an artist known for drawing the strange yet adorable characters of her own creation with free spirited brush strokes to create a colorful pictorial world using various media such as felt-tip color pens, acrylic paint, poster color, indian ink, water-based paint on canvas, wood panel, or paper.Halikuma, the most popular one of her characters was modeled after her favorite Teddy Bear.

Born with Down syndrome, OGATA took up painting around the age of twelve while staying in an art class that her mother was attending, and through participations to many art exhibitions, increased the fans of her work. In 2012 and 2013, she received awards in the exhibition titled "Roba Museum" held annually by Tambourine Gallery. Furthermore, she has also been commissioned to paint murals on the wall of a photo studio and a cafe by owners of the shops.

Currently, she is keen on drawing her new character that she calls Gagakebe, a creature shaped like a snake or frog eggs. The form of Gagakebe is reported to have naturally evolved from the rhythmical curvilinear lines that OGATA enjoyed drawing on paper. In contrast to the brightly colored Halukuma with the trade mark sunny smile, Gagakebe is much less colorful to an extent that it is sometimes drawn in the achromatic color and bears various facial expressions ranging from a smile to a mouth turned down at corners as if mirroring the artist's complex inner self. "Gagakebe is not a frog, not a snake, not a ghost, not a phantom," said the artist. The words might reflect her desire to stay elusive to escape the stereotyping of her art.

To fall into the trap of dualism by defining Halukuma as Yang and Gagakebe as Ying is not the way to go. (Halukuma is not just all about light. Its model Teddy Bear was given to the artist around the time of the death of her beloved grandfather, Halu, and has been placed on his altar ever since.) Instead, let us joyfully be immersed in OGATA's pictorial realm where the elements of happiness and sadness, life and death, and color and shade segue into each other.

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Rico OGATA
Born in Tokyo,1994

Selected Group Exhibitions
"salon des artistes indépendants",3331 Arts Chiyoda,Tokyo,2014.
"FANTASTIC DAYS", Tambourine Gallery,Tokyo,2014.
"Art works for peace", Setagaya Art Museum,Tokyo,2012.
"Art works In The Future ",The National Art Centre,Tokyo,2010.

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