Osamu Sekiya

The artworks I am working on recently are graphic paintings using foil. I was inspired by the great contemporary artists

such as Gerhard Richter and Anselm Kiefer. My artwork is the fusion between the nihonga of long-standing tradition

and symbolic/graphic styles, which I pursue through painting.

The background of my painting has a spatial impression as though whittled down foils are floating.

This is the expression of the memorable scenes in my heart and also snippets of landscapes flashing in my memory.

The graphic artworks represent my creative urge. To express the image in my mind, cutting, scraping and pasting

the foils have to be done quickly before the screen dries. So, it's a race against the clock.

I go back and forth to the work table without having a time to sit. However, this physical work process

and the abstract images I create satisfy my deep desire for creation.

My brushwork would not develop if were exclusively working with foil. Sitting at a desk and facing a canvas,

I depict sacred mountain peaks and Fuji, which requires utmost care and delicate work.

Although this is hard work, I am aware that going through this process, I am able to improve my brush skills

as a painting artist. This is the point to make two completely different styles coexist in my artwork.

The purpose of each style is different, but integration of the two styles help me keep my equilibrium as an artist.

Osamu Sekiya was born in Niigata in 1982. He received his PhD from Tokyo University of the Arts (2013), he is now an associate professor at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.