Shun Sudo “Pain Over”

Onishi Gallery

[Image: Shun Sudo "VISITOR" (2016) acrylic on canvas, h. 39 x w. 39 in.]

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Onishi Gallery presents the second solo exhibition of cutting-edge artist Shun Sudo. This rousing exhibition, “Paint Over,” showcases Sudo’s creative graffiti art style as he blends vintage and contemporary imagery to vibrantly re-envision our familiar icons

Based out of Tokyo, Shun Sudo creates paintings that are deeply rooted in both ancient styles and current-day street culture. Taking inspiration from iconic brands, like Chanel or Nike, Sudo’s work is fresh and relevant, while harkening to former generations of creative design. He is a unique painter who has developed two distinct styles that represent two different aspects of his personality: Shun Sudo and FRANERO. FRANERO is a gestural, dynamic style of painting characteristic of Japanese sumi-e brush stroke painting, where the primary aim of the artist is to capture his subject’s matter in a few stylized brushstrokes. The artful black ink illustration is, in a sense, similar to traditional calligraphy in which each mark made is meaningful.

As an experienced urban artist, Sudo creates work that not only complements the aesthetic trends of our Digital Age, but that also honors the rich legacy of Japanese painting exemplified by FRANERO. As Sudo paints over former images with his own inspired designs, he remakes the images anew for a different time and place. In this exhibition, Sudo will present portrait images that feature global icons such as Andy Warhol and John Lennon, reinterpreting the well-known through an original colorful lens.

Sudo’s combination of an historical painting practice with graffiti pop art makes for a graphically-animated impression that awakens the eyes, mind, and spirit. For this reason, Sudo is as much visual performance artist as he is painter. Sudo has exhibited both in Japan and in the United States.