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- 10 - 19
GR gallery is pleased to present My Screen Tests, the first New York City solo exhibition by Kohei Yamada. The exhibition examines the enduring value of the authentic relationship between artist and artwork, engaging in themes of irony, introspection, and visual metaphor, which draw inspiration from contemporary practice and Yamada’s nuanced admiration for American Pop art.
In My Screen Tests, Yamada searches within New York City’s identity as the art capital of the world in order to infuse his work with a distinct vitality, revealing his admiration for Andy Warhol in particular through motifs referencing the Silver Factory era and vibrant pop expressions.
My Screen Tests is defined by motivations that comment on the ambiguous nature of art’s true value beyond its creator, while also alluding to Yamada’s need to remain bound to art for the rest of his life. The work also critiques the world’s normalization of deceit and capitalistic greed, alongside a persistent longing for freedom that remains just out of reach. New York City lies at the core of Yamada’s practice, serving as both subject and catalyst for exploring the interplay between personal perception and nostalgia. It also functions as a cultural bridge between American and Japanese influences, tracing the artist’s journey from childhood through his engagement with the legacy of Andy Warhol, as well as other Japanese and American artists. Through a combination of brushwork, abstraction, and figuration, Yamada weaves a narrative rich in contemporary art history, while also confronting the true value of an artist’s existence.
Artist:
Kohei Yamada, based in Japan and graduate with a Masters in painting from the University of Arts Hiroshima, creates works based on his inner self/alter ego. With a heavy influence in pop art and a combination of joy, irony, humor and bold color, he achieves a piece that can act like a mirror to his own person while exploring what it means to create art that both fascinates him and the viewer. During his career, he has experimented with both oil and acrylic paints in search of a medium that is flexible, expressive and allows him to engage in various techniques such as dripping and stippling. In turn, he constructs a rich, vibrant background with highly detailed clothing patterns for his subjects. Yamada’s practice is constantly aiming for more visually complex and sophisticated paintings, leading him to structurally studying each sketch and subject before meticulously applying their color on a larger canvas. He comments on Japanese cyberculture through these contemporary pieces by using a blend of kawaii elements, street/pop styles and a nod to the youth for engaging with their heritage in new creative ways. As he paints, he carefully assigns a personality and a story to his artwork; much like creating a manga or anime character. Each subject strives to be unique and carry a beaming positivity in their colorful dress whilst holding an even gaze with the viewer. Yamada continues to blend modern culture with history through his techniques and paintings and holds an eager outlook of evolving as an artist in an ever changing world.
116 Chambers Street (btw Church & W. Broadway ) New York, NY 10007
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