Description
All works in Hayaki Nishigaki: A Monster of Our Own Making will ship in August following the end of the exhibition.
About the artist
At the brush of Hayaki Nishigaki (b. 1985), the iconic monster Godzilla becomes a contemporary motif explored across traditional painting techniques. From the aftermath of WWII to the environmental crises of today, the King of Monsters functions as a vessel for societal woes and national consciousness throughout Nishigaki’s work. While constant in form, this monster is ever evolving in meaning as he storms through different formats, historical themes, and artistic techniques. Rendered in gold-embellished nihonga (Japanese-style painting) and monochrome sansuiga (paintings of idealized landscapes), Nishigaki’s uses Godzilla to bring “to light what is internalized in society” with a touch of irony.
Hayaki Nishigaki was named the fifth annual winner of the Ronin Globus OnBeat Artist-in-Residence Program. Based at Studio Haidenban in Kyoto since 2015, Hayaki Nishigaki holds an MFA in painting from Kyoto University of Art and Design. He directed the Kyoto Sento Arts Festival in 2014 and completed a residency program at the Qatar Museum in Doha in 2022.