Shinya Azuma makes a sketch of images inspired by the news programmes or sceneries in daily life through his experience, and remakes it on canvas with bold brush strokes. Azuma’s simple paintings with peculiar color usage and dynamic texture of the medium have quirkiness somehow, and vigor which stops us to see the picture.

The themes of the works range from some well-timed serious issues such as the wealth inequality or protests all over the world to personal sexual experiences, but they all capture different aspects of humanity. Like memes on the social media, the distinctive type of humour which can be both of the satire and the self-deprecating sarcasm is one of the attractions on his works.

Shinya Azuma (b. 1994, Osaka, Japan) is a Kyoto-based painter working in oil on canvas, represented by Cohju Gallery. He holds an MFA in Contemporary Art from Kyoto University of the Arts (formerly Kyoto University of Art and Design) and has exhibited internationally, including at Art Basel Hong Kong, Untitled Art Miami, and Sydney Contemporary. His work is held in notable collections including the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, sequence MIYASHITA PARK, and the Bao Room. Azuma recently completed a residency with the Augustus Owen Foundation in Dallas, leading into his first solo exhibition at Galleri Urbane.