“I paint pictures naturally of how they appear to me, the person around me is similar to Picasso style,” stated Kumi Hirose, a Tokyo artist of the piece “Three People Who Can Rely.” A new exhibit at the Gallery Max New York, the Society of Japanese and American Creators (SJAC) had their preview on October 3. SJAC also hosted their first reception on October 7 featuring a variety of artworks from 34 artists of different cultural roots.
“This preview is initially for the artist’s family and friends with no prior announcement,” Kazuko Hyakuda, director of SJAC said.
SJAC was established on June 2017 to bring not only Japanese artists, but different cultures and genders together, providing them with the accessibility of exposing their work in galleries. “Five directors volunteered to manage this non-profit group and chose the artists from the people they know, each artist would pay a $60 participation fee,” Hyakuda said.
SJAC is one of the few Japanese art network groups in New York, including Japan Society, Japanese Art Dealers, Japanese Art Society of America, J-Collabo, and JCAT that has emerged within these past few months in assisting young talented artists from around the world to a successful artistic career. Gallery Max New York is supportive of SJAC’s artists and hosts to organizations to rent out for a small percentage of commission.
“Here, one-third of the artists are not Japanese; a couple of the artists are originally from New York,” Max Fujishima, photographer, and owner of Gallery Max New York, said.
Naoaki Funayama,artist of “X-don,” a painting with animation filled with vivid colors. “I have a very big imagination, as a kid, I dreamed of how dinosaurs looked like since they are now dead,” Funayama said.
Hirose’s has been displaying her art pieces in Brooklyn Brush Studios slightly more than one year, where she spends sleepless nights in a small art studio space. She presented her artwork in Bushwick Open Studios in September. Through her work, she demonstrates an infatuation with exquisite detail of shapes, colors and décor in the form of an art diary of her experiences and deep emotions involving her interactions with people.
In “Three People Who Can Rely,” Hirose explains the three friends: one driving the car, one wave, and the other talking. It is a chaotic mixture of feelings- frustration, anger, sadness, and joy- complied all into one art frame.
“Her art is lightening as a child. It combines the familiarity of the past with the restlessness of the future,” Kris Kemp, film writer and actor said, “it almost reminds me of African styles like a lot of bold colors, dark blacks, and whites in an illustrated fashion of a petroglyph.”
Hirose’s will host a solo exhibition at the International Center of CCS on October 19.
“This is a group where no one has boundaries, and anyone can join,” Hyakuda said.