Oscar Oiwa in Paradise – Drawing the Ephemeral

From April 3, JAPAN HOUSE São Paulo presents ‘Oscar Oiwa in Paradise – Drawing the Ephemeral’, with a selection of works and a novel installation by the Nissei artist Oscar Oiwa, who consolidated his aesthetic style in Japan underpinning his career in the contemporary Japanese art scene.

Exclusively for JAPAN HOUSE São Paulo, Oiwa will present the installation “Paradise,” a 360-degree drawing of a landscape the artist designed inside an inflatable balloon made of vinyl. Visitors will be invited to enter this work and, thus, be part of Oiwa’s imagination through a unique integration. In addition to this piece, three of this São Paulo native’s canvases will also be on display: The Dream of the Sleeping World (2009), After Midnight (2010), and Invisible Sea (2010). The fact that his works are featured in collections belonging to museums around the world, such as The National Museum of Modern Art, in Tokyo, and the Phoenix Museum of Art, prove Oiwa’s worldwide recognition.

“It is extremely symbolic to host this exhibit at the moment when we celebrate 110 years of Japanese immigration in Brazil,” says JAPAN HOUSE São Paulo Cultural Director Natasha Barzaghi Geenen. During the 90s, Oiwa lived in Japan for 11 years, where he consolidated the influences of his ancestors’ country of origin. “The fact that the artist migrated to Japan, that is, taking the opposite route from his parents, perfectly illustrates the strong connection there is between the two cultures, highlighting the magnificent and centenary exchange between Brazil and Japan,” concludes Natasha.

Having held individual and collective exhibits in cities such as London, New York, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo, Oiwa constantly relies on drawings to build his works, something noticeable on his canvases. “I’ve always loved drawing, which I consider the most basic way to express myself visually. A pencil and a blank sheet of paper, there is no simpler medium than that,” notes the artist.

The exhibit is scheduled to run until June 3 and is sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, Canon, Mayekawa, and Bradesco Seguros.