Ubusuna

Guild Gallery is pleased to present the first solo U.S. exhibition of Syotatsu (b. 1982, Wakayama, Japan) a Japanese artist known for drawings and paintings that engage with the natural world through both subject and medium— depicting scenes and phenomena of nature that hover between figuration and abstraction, made using a distinctive technique that mixes in local soil into the paint before application. The exhibition presents a series of 30 new works that were inspired by a return to Syotatsu's hometown of Wakayama, where the climate, topography, and spirituality of the Japanese countryside inspired a radical new direction in his craft. Tatsuya Kawai, or Syotatsu (b. 1982, Wakayama, Japan) makes expressive paintings guided by the climate and spirituality of the land from his studio in Wakayama. Trained at Kyoto University of the Arts, Syotatsu was first introduced to the art of portraiture at the age of nineteen on the streets of Kyoto, where he met the many people who inspired an evolution of his style. Upon moving back to Wakayama, Syotatsu became increasingly observant of the beauty and divinity of the rural landscape that would become the signature symbol of his paintings, and he has remained there as he hones and masters his practice. Syotatsu’s name was suggested to him by a friend who thought he should have a painter’s name, rather than using his real name. When asked what is most important for Syotatsu when painting portraits, he answered “smiling faces” – so the friend then took “Syo” (smile) and “Tatsu” from his given name to create his painter name.

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