Wong Kar-wai, Stephen Chow films inspire Japanese artist Madsaki’s debut Hong Kong show
The Tokyo-based artist’s month-long exhibition will feature works that reference classics such as In the Mood for Love and Kung Fu Hustle
Japanese contemporary artist Madsaki doesn’t like things that are pretty or perfect – and it shows in his work. Many of his paintings express his signature style: creepy, smiley faces with even creepier dripping eyes.
It is a look he has embraced for his first Hong Kong exhibition, titled “If I Had a Dream”, which starts on July 17 at the Perrotin gallery, in Central. For the show, Madsaki, who goes only by his working name, has given his art a local twist by paying homage to Hong Kong cinema, with paintings referencing scenes from modern classics such as Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000) and Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s 2004 comedy, Kung Fu Hustle.
The exhibition will also feature some of the Tokyo-based artist’s earlier works, including interpretations of pop artist Andy Warhol’s flowers, skulls, guns, dollar signs and brillo boxes. Instead of the silk-screen technique used by Warhol, however, Madsaki employs spray paint.
“It’s hard to express what could be expressed through silk screen with a spray can,” says Madsaki. “I’ve got to add my own flavour.”
The Hong Kong show will feature pieces that reflect the artist’s love for cartoons and manga, with characters such as robot Arale Norimaki, from the Dr Slumpseries, and Sesame Street’s Big Bird.
Born in Osaka, in 1974, and raised in New York, Madsaki travelled extensively with his father, who took him to museums around the world where he got to see “all the famous paintings”, sowing the seeds for his “Wannabie’s” series, which pokes fun at old masters and well-known artworks (think Mona Lisa with a smiley face).