Like many artists, Hiroshi Sato’s work took on a new urgency and direction with the onset of the pandemic. He expresses this shift in his recently updated artist statement: “It feels irresponsible to not respond to and depict the current social and political landscape as a painter in 2024. The sense of necessity is further compounded by the fact that we are living in a time where we feel starved for sincerity. The pandemic had brought to the surface the absurdity of late stage capitalism—even to those who may have felt little utility in noticing…This is where the current sense of isolation is of our time, the desire for sincerity in a postmodern world. The dissonance of itself something unique to our post-pandemic world.”
Smoke Break, oil on canvas, 24 x 38"
The socio-political commentary that courses through Sato’s work is not readily apparent in the quiet figurative works informed by the influences of Edward Hopper, Chuck Close, Andrew Wyeth, Euan Uglow and others, as well as Japanese compositional philosophies.
Rather, Sato provides what he calls “minor clues” to the messages in his pictorial narratives. Smoke Breakdepicts two, presumably working class, individuals taking a moment outside a motel-like structure. For Sato, this brand new piece is considering this economic demographic within the context of the 2024 political campaign.
Lobby, oil on canvas, 30 x 34"
Other recent works subtly touch upon transgender discrimination—and other disenfranchised groups and controversial issues that are being used to drive wedges between the populace. One painting alludes to the collective groan—or cheers—that followed Biden’s disastrous debate performance. A woman stands at an open window; in the process of opening or closing a blind, looking across at two brightly lit windows. For Sato, it captures a moment of collective awareness, regardless of political beliefs.
The Reporter, depicting a journalist with his camera and tripod staring out over the ocean, is a little more overt with its message.
“Reporters are important,” says Sato. “And I think people forget that. We’re relying on them to do real journalism, which is not to report that this person says it’s raining and this other person says it’s not raining—it’s to go find out if it’s actually raining.”
Reporter, oil on canvas, 38 x 52"
On another level, the piece hints at Sato’s purpose and mission as an artist. “We’ll know historically what happened, journalists will document the events, but what it felt like will be lost to time—that’s what I’m trying to solidify into pictures. Journalism records what’s happening, but with art it’s more about the intangible. I want people [to look] at the paintings and understand what it feels like to be living in that moment. What did it feel like to be watching that debate? Or when the shutdowns were happening or not knowing how long it was going to go on for?”
Candidates, oil on canvas, 26 x 28"
There are a lot of layers to the works Sato has created since the pandemic, and his themes, subject matter and techniques have evolved in step with the swift passage of time. Whereas previous series would all stay within a certain scope, this latest body of work, the subject of an exhibition at Marrow Gallery in San Francisco, is something of a mash-up of the many approaches he has experimented with and studied over the past four years. Some rely on 3D computer modeling for reference, others originated in painting from life. In some he revisits acrylics, while others highlight his exploration of color and a return to a flattening of form.
“I think right now, the work is trying to find its grounding a little bit by putting it all together,” says Sato. “One thing that’s consistent: I’m never completely satisfied…I see what works and what didn’t. It’s always a progression, and taking what I learned and not making the same mistake in the next series. It’s a continuous evolution and that’s a good thing—I don’t want to be a ‘painting the same painting forever’ kind of artist.” —
Marrow Gallery 548 Irving Street • San Francisco, CA • (415) 463-2055 • www.marrowgallery.com
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