Gajin Fujita

Los Angeles native Gajin Fujita draws upon his Japanese American heritage for his mural-sized, powerfully iconic and vibrantly layered paintings.  The Hunter will be showcasing six of Fujita’s large scale paintings and several related drawings. Embracing two worlds, Fujita’s works combine elements from traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints with elements of urban street art. In these works graffiti, spray paint, stencils and markers mix with classically applied gold leaf and acrylic paint. Ukiyo-e were created from the 17th to 19th centuries, and originally depicted courtesans and kabuki actors. Over time, they came to feature characters from Japanese history and folklore. Fujita uses the same subjects, but his samurai and geisha take on the LA urban scene with references to gangs, art history, sports teams and American pop culture setting the stage. Many of Fujita’s larger works are multi-paneled, much like Japanese screens or sliding doors.

The Gajin Fujita exhibition is part of a trio of Hunter exhibits this year that will explore the influence of Japanese art on American artists. While Fujita’s work is a contemporary take on culture and identity, our Japonisme and America exhibit [opening in mid May] and the Monet and American Impressionism exhibition [opening June 27th] will look at the wide ranging inspiration that western artists have drawn from Japanese art and printmaking.

Read more about Gajin here.