crisis

The word crisis has made an international career and allegedly ended Chinese contemporary art boom. On Nov sales at Christie's HK only 52% of Chinese and 40% Korean were sold compared to 66% of the works by Japanese artists. Is it time for Japanese contemporary art now or just a temporary turn of collectors' attention in the times when the economy is low?

Tetsuya Ishida, Untitled, oil on canvas, 2001












The strongest performing Japanese artist was Tetsuya Ishida, a painter (died at 31 in 2005 in the train accident) depecting Japanese youths and their conditions of life in response to society and technology's expectation upon them.

photo: Christie's

Hiroyuki Matsuura, Kingyo-hime, acrilic on canvas, 2008

Another artist who was selling well was Hiroyuki Matsuura who depictes a fantastical universe in which Japanese often immerse when the real world is too disappointing. The digital realm and its characters provide solace and companionship. Here the Princess Goldfish inspired by Takashima Kazusa anime where a goldfish turns into a woman for one night to thank a boy for saving her.

photo: Christie's