WAKO WORKS OF ART is pleased to present a two-person exhibition by Takeshi Masada and Tomohito Ishii, two young painters who are in the gallery's selective "from/to" program. Initiated in the summer of 2004, "from/to" strives to introduce young Japanese artists and to provide them with a platform for their creativity. This exhibition will include new works on canvas by both artists.

Currently living and working in Osaka, Masada was one of the artists in the gallery's inaugural "from/to #1" exhibition. In his work, Masada carries out a breakdown of images into bold brushstrokes in vivid colors that emphasize the materiality of paint and surface. The highly deliberate selection of everyday subjects derived from the media reflects his intricate relationship to the art and the history of painting.

A recent graduate of the Musashino Art University Graduate School's Painting course, Ishii was selected to exhibit in "from/to #3" which took place in Summer 2005. After studying and internalizing landscape photographs that he himself has taken, he converts the signals from the images and transfers them onto canvas using swatches of brushstrokes. From the same landscape, he creates works that are both abstract and figurative, and in carrying out this process, Ishii creates a personal link between the acts of seeing and painting.

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MASADA Takeshi

Born in 1977 in Osaka. Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts, MA Fine Art. Lives and works in Osaka. Selected exhibitions include: "Robert Platt & Takeshi Masada: Practically Sublime" at Els Hanappe Underground, Athens, Greece(2005), "from/to #1: Masada Takeshi & Naho Yokoya" at Wako Works of Art, Tokyo(2004), "Slow Painting" Daiwa Radiator Factory Viewing Room, Hiroshima.

ISHII Tomohito

Born 1980 in Tokyo. Graduated from Musashino Art University Graduate School of Art and Design Fine Arts Painting course in 2006. Exhibited in: "from/to #3: Mitsuhiro Ikeda & Tomohito Ishii" at WAKO WORKS OF ART, Tokyo (2005).