WHAT
Born in Osaka, raised in the United States, and currently based in Tokyo, MADSAKI’s newest exhibition is his first solo exhibition in Mainland China, with a series of landscape paintings to mark a thematic shift in his painting practice. Having accrued much success and accolades from a painting practice that undermines the dichotomy of high art and low art, the artist’s visual resources range from the classics throughout art history to newspaper images and pop culture icons, using spray paint as a fine art medium. The title of exhibition, taken from a passage in Shakespeare’s tragedy, ‘Macbeth’, conveys his visual translation of the current global situation from his viewpoint.

WHY
The exhibition is one inspired by a personal journey of self-discovery, healing, and introspection, facilitated by a visit to his wife’s hometown where he witnessed a small dirt road near a beach. As with all of his previous paintings that come from personal stories and experiences, these recent works depict nature, but also pay homage to a place belonging to his wife’s past. Famously known for his fast executions, MADSAKI had previously completed a painting within hours from start to finish. These landscapes, however, have taken much longer, from weeks to even months. The length of time taken by the artist to complete each painting not only reflects a meditative process of digging deep into one’s emotional reservoir, but also resonates with the title of the exhibition and the consistent nocturnal theme of this series.