This is the first solo exhibition of Filipino artist Ronald Ventura (1973-) at a Japanese museum.
Since being introduced at the "Metaphysics of Skin" exhibition at a gallery in New York in 2009, this young artist has been attracting attention, exhibiting his works throughout Europe and the United States, as well as in Asia, including Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Ventura repeatedly delves deeply into his own identity, reflecting introspection and exploring the expressive possibilities of "skin," the epidermis of the human body. His method of expression has been consistent since his early works, incorporating and layering various fields in a plastic and philosophical way, reflecting these in his paintings and sculptures.
This retrospective exhibition of the artist's 30-year career will feature approximately 120 pieces, ranging from sculptures to new paintings.
"Boblo", the guardian dog who is likely to become the new symbol of the Karuizawa New Art Museum, will also be making an appearance. Please enjoy!
Main image
Ronald Ventura, Untitled, 2021, oil on canvas, 243.8 x 365.8 cm
Karuizawa New Art Museum General Incorporated Foundation, Sankei Shimbun
In cooperation with Unnan City Tourism Association
NEW ART MUSEUM Co., Ltd., Whitestone Co., Ltd.
Sponsorship
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Japan, Nagano Prefectural Board of Education, Karuizawa Town, Shinano Mainichi Newspapers, SBC Shinetsu Broadcasting, NBS Nagano Broadcasting, TSB Television Shinshu, abn Nagano Asahi Broadcasting, FM Karuizawa, Karuizawa Shimbun, Karuizawa News House
About the exhibition
Ronald Ventura (1973-) is one of the most prominent Asian artists currently in the global art scene. His works have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Europe and Asia, and are highly regarded as cutting-edge contemporary art.
Ventura expresses the state of society by updating the surrealist technique of fantastically expressing the unconscious world in a modern way. Various images born from his imagination are intertwined in his paintings and objects, and the chaotic world is a precise expression of the complex modern society with advanced techniques and unique sense.
I've heard that contemporary art is difficult to understand, but his works are often intuitively identifiable, with popular anime and game characters juxtaposed with realistic humans, animals, familiar landscapes, and everyday life in the same piece. I think that viewers of all ages, from specialized art fans, can enjoy the various expressions and images that his works contain.
This exhibition will be this remarkable artist's first museum exhibition in Japan and will feature his largest selection of works to date, and we hope that as many people as possible will take advantage of this opportunity to see it.
Director: Eiichi Matsuhashi
◇Click on the image to see the full exhibition video!
"Boblo" 2018 Fiberglass, resin, acrylic, gold leaf 317.5 x 165.1 x 137.2 cm
Artist Information
Artist profile
1973 Born in Manila, Philippines
1993 Graduated from the Department of Painting at St. Thomas University in Manila, Philippines, the oldest university in Asia
After graduating, he worked for a while as an art teacher at his alma mater.
2005: Won an artist-in-residence scholarship in Sydney, Australia for the "Human Study Series"
2009 "Metaphysics of Skin" (Tyler Rollins Fine Art Gallery, New York, USA)
2011: His painting "Grayground" was sold at Sotheby's (Hong Kong) for the highest price ever paid by a Southeast Asian artist.
"Thousand Islands" (Tyler Rollins Fine Art Gallery, New York, USA)
"Humanim 1" (Taipei Fine Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan)
2013 "Emptiness and the Birdcage" (Perrotin Gallery, Hong Kong, China)
2014 "Bululu (Jizo) - Ronald Ventura and Traditional Art of the Philippines" (Lugano Cultural Museum, Switzerland)
2016 "Project: Searching for a Home" (MOCA, Taipei, Taiwan)
2018 "Comic Lives" (Whitestone Gallery, Tokyo, Japan)
2021 "Comic Stripes" (Whitestone Gallery, Tokyo, Japan)
"Ronald Ventura Exhibition - Introspection" (Karuizawa New Art Museum, Nagano, Japan)
And many more.
Information about Works
"Untitled" 2021 Oil on canvas 304.8 x 213.4 cm
"Comicosmic 2" 2020 Oil on canvas, fiberglass, resin frame 96.5 x 78.7 cm
"Hyper Beast" 2017 Fiberglass, resin, iron, oil paint, polyurethane paint 71.1 x 256.5 x 116.8 cm
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