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Gasworks presents Critical Art Theory, the first institutional solo exhibition in Europe by Japanese American artist Ben Sakoguchi.
Ben’s characteristic painting style mixes diverse elements of figuration, history painting and Pop art to critique Western cultural values and idealism. Mainly using acrylic on canvas, he reproduces and juxtaposes imagery from film posters, newspapers, comics and internet searches to reveal subtexts of discrimination, mass media exploitation and state-sanctioned violence. By turns funny, sentimental and brutal, his paintings often intertwine politics with his own biography as well as stories of famous people ranging from U.S. presidents to celebrities.
Upon graduating from high school in the late 1950s, Ben moved to Los Angeles to study art at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Over 60 years later, his studies there provide the inspiration for his solo exhibi…
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Press Release
Gasworks presents Critical Art Theory, the first institutional solo exhibition in Europe by Japanese American artist Ben Sakoguchi.
Ben’s characteristic painting style mixes diverse elements of figuration, history painting and Pop art to critique Western cultural values and idealism. Mainly using acrylic on canvas, he reproduces and juxtaposes imagery from film posters, newspapers, comics and internet searches to reveal subtexts of discrimination, mass media exploitation and state-sanctioned violence. By turns funny, sentimental and brutal, his paintings often intertwine politics with his own biography as well as stories of famous people ranging from U.S. presidents to celebrities.
Upon graduating from high school in the late 1950s, Ben moved to Los Angeles to study art at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Over 60 years later, his studies there provide the inspiration for his solo exhibi…
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