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Featured work: 'Multicolor Double Face: White' 2020
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Contemporary artist Murakami is known for his paintings and sculptures, along with his work in commercial media, such as fashion and animation. His art is influenced by anime and manga, leading him to create the ‘Superflat’ movement, which he describes as portraying the “shallow emptiness of Japanese consumer culture” . Murakami’s work features recurring motifs, such as smiling flowers and mushrooms, which represent the repressed emotions of Japanese people triggered by the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings.
Featured work: ‘Pumpkin (Yellow)’, 2016
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Famous for her sculptures and installation artwork, Kusama incorporates her signature polkadot motif onto sculptures, paintings, and even handbags in fashion collaborations. Widely acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan, the world's top-selling female artist, and the world's most successful living artist, Kusama’s work has inspired the likes of Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol.
Featured work: 'Falling Passage', 2019
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Tomokazu Matsuyama is a contemporary visual artist, inspired by Japanese art from the Meiji and Edo eras, Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, and French Renaissance painting. Upon moving to New York, Matsuyama has been exhibited at galleries including the Reischauer Institute at Harvard University, the Katzen Arts Center at American University Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Featured work: 'Banging The Drum', 2020
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Known for his artwork of large-headed girls with big piercing eyes, Nara combines the elements of childish kawaii (cuteness) with dark humour and adult emotions. Each of Nara’s works feature children or animals in soft pastel hues, with a twist, such as carrying weapons and having angry expressions. In addition to his artwork, Nara has also created album artwork for bands like R.E.M. and Japanese punk bands, inspired by his exposure to Western music via an American military radio station.
Featured work: 'Still Confused', 2022
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LY creates primarily paintings of street views and landscapes, made iconic by her usage of only black, white and grey paint. Each of her works also includes a shadowy monster named ‘LUV’, which represents a projection of her thoughts and feelings, and which LY “consider[s] each of them as an individual”. In addition to her paintings, LY has created 3D works depicting the monster holding skateboards and dogs.
All of these works will be available to bid on in our upcoming online auction, 'By Collectors, For Collectors', which will run from the 16th - 30th October on Artsy.