Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) Ⅱ (inspired by David Hockney) - MADSAKI

Artist bio: 

Born 1974 in Osaka, Japan. Graduated from the Parsons School of Design, Fine Arts Department. After immigrating to the melting pot known as New York at a young age and graduating from Parsons School of Design, he worked as a member of the international artist group Barnstormers before starting his solo career based in Tokyo and New York, ranging from elaborative drawings to huge installations. In recent years he has drawn on provocative words and historic masterpieces in his work as a way of asking questions about the meaning of art and the value of artwork from an ironical point of view. In 2016, MADSAKI released canvases in which he appropriated an overwhelming variety of images that flood our society such as movie scenes from the past, portraits of politicians and flower motif paintings by artist Takashi Murakami, along with a series of paintings composed of provocative and satirical phrases. In the following year, he expanded upon a new series where he experimented with a more private, self-referencing approach revolving around his wife as the motif. In this new form of expression, he succeeded in depicting his subjects as if he were presenting a fine piece of literary work. MADSAKI’s complex identity spans both Japan and the United States, embracing the street culture of NY and his experience there as a bike messenger. Standing on that background, the artist embodies with a twist of rebellious spirit his insight into the fleeting, transient nature of everyday life in a series of delicately composed spray paint canvases.