LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To celebrate the recent Los Angeles debut of the dynamic international touring exhibition “WAVE | New Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts,” JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, a Japanese cultural destination in the heart of Hollywood, today announces it will extend a sweepstakes giveaway of artwork by two of the exhibition’s featured artists. One lucky entrant will win “Resolution Matryoshka No.006” (2021) – a new, original piece by Jenny Kaori, a rising star contemporary artist known for her colorful riffs on pop culture. A second winner will receive “Tangle” (2016) – an original piece by exhibition curator, Hiro Sugiyama, whose prolific output includes figurative and abstract painting, superrealistic portraiture, prints, photography, and collage.
Kaori and Sugiyama are two of 55 Japanese contemporary artists that were spotlighted in the now closed exhibition – based on the popular art exhibition WAVE, held annually at Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo – many of whom are showing their work outside Japan for the first time. The traveling exhibition introduces a diverse array of artists, from established to emerging, showing how their creations in books, magazines, comics, animation, posters, and other media extend far beyond the well-known manga and anime styles and represent the full spectrum of Japanese graphic art today.
Kaori works in animation, character design, and apparel, using vivid colors and a predominantly pink color palette to create strong, mischievous female figures transcending gender boundaries and challenging stereotypes of femininity and girlishness. In much of his work, Sugiyama explores points of intersection between dualities – life and death, reality and unreality, abstract and concrete, digital and analog – expressing the narrow space where opposites meet.
There are two ways to enter the sweepstakes:
- Enter on Facebook by liking and following JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, liking the sweepstakes announcement post, and tagging two friends with their social media handle in a comment on the sweepstakes announcement post.
- Enter via mail by mailing a postcard with your name, address, phone number, and email address with a note referencing the WAVE Sweepstakes, to: JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, Attn: PR & Marketing Department, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 167, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Upon receipt of the mail-in entry, you will receive one (1) entry into the sweepstakes. All mail-in entries must be hand-printed.
The sweepstakes began on Monday, November 15 at 12:01 a.m. PST and ends on Wednesday, December 22 at 11:59 p.m. PST. The sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, 18 years of age or older; or legal residents of Japan, 20 years of age or older. There is no limit on the number of entries per person, but there may only be one entry per day. For the complete official rules, including detailed entry instructions and prize details, visit https://www.japanhousela.com/events/wave-exhibition-sweepstakes/.
“WAVE – New Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts” was on display at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles through November 28, 2021. The exhibition introduced work by artists ranging from veteran professional illustrators, such as Teruhiko Yumura, Akira Uno, and Keiichi Tanaami, to young artists like Kaori, as well as Masanori Ushiki, Yusuke Hanai, Jun Oson, and Mayu Yukishita. Styles of the drawings, paintings, and prints vary widely, from Tanaami’s vibrant, detailed fantasies, Ayako Ishiguro’s Japanese folklore-inspired characters, and Hiroshi Nagai’s bright summer landscapes to Yukishita’s dark realism and Masaru Shichinohe’s haunting portraits.
For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE
JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs – London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo – conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. Occupying two floors at Hollywood & Highland, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.
Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
Website: www.japanhousela.com
ABOUT JENNY KAORI
Self-taught artist Jenny Kaori (b. 1987) works in animation, character design, and apparel. She typically depicts the young people who inhabit Japan’s sub- and mainstream cultures. She uses vivid colors – and a predominantly pink color palette – to create strong, mischievous female figures who transcend gender boundaries and challenge stereotypes of femininity and girlishness. Though typically rendered using a playful, cute aesthetic, the girls in her illustrations overflow with attitude. Kaori has worked with Shibuya-based fashion brand, galaxxxy, and has collaborated with Betty Boop, FLCL, Adobe & FUJIFILM. She has also worked with the k-pop group EXID, and in 2020 she created four bold new designs for adidas. She has exhibited her work in WAVE 2019 and WAVE 2020 in Tokyo, and her work has been published in ILLUSTRATION 2016 (Shoeisha, 2016), Fashion illustration: Outfit of the Day (PIE Creators' File Series, 2020) (Japanese Edition), New Retro Illustration (Pie International, 2020) and Roller Derby / Girl Gang: An Art Anthology (Schiffer, 2020).
ABOUT HIRO SUGIYAMA
One of the organizers and curators of the Tokyo WAVE exhibition and this JAPAN HOUSE touring exhibition, Hiro Sugiyama (b. 1962) is a Tokyo-based artist whose prolific output has included figurative and abstract painting, superrealistic portraiture, prints, photography, and collage. In much of his work, he explores points of intersection between dualities – life and death, reality and unreality, abstract and concrete, digital and analog – expressing the narrow space where opposites meet. Over the past decade, Sugiyama has held regular solo exhibitions in Tokyo galleries including Hiromi Yoshii Roppongi, AD Gallery, and WATOWA Gallery. He has also been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Shanghai, London, Italy, Germany, and South Korea, and he was one of 19 Japanese artists spotlighted in the 2001 Superflat exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He has also published numerous books including Abstract Portrait (2011), Vision Quest (2005) and Out of Science (2002).
Media Contacts:
Nerissa Silao | 310-874-9230 | nerissas@ca.rr.com
Lisa Nakanouchi | 323-904-9298 | lnakanouchi@japanhousela.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b896cbe-04d9-4d68-9e90-275940dabf47
