Nobara Hayakawa

Bogotá, Colombia

TBD

Sponsored by the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation

ARTIST STATEMENT

A graphic design trained visual artist, I feel comfortable using a wide variety of media depending on the nature of the project. I have a recurring interest in existential issues, from the emotional dimension of the dynamics between human beings, to our relationship with our planet, addressing complex subjects with a visually candid approach. I do this by confronting alarming situations, like global warming or environmental catastrophes, with animistic character design: an acrylic painting with flat colors depicting an oil spill with a devious smile, a drawing of a menacing dark cloud with a satisfied grin or a ceramic plant pot shaped like an abandoned factory warehouse intended to be outgrown as an image of what I call the post-anthropocene.

My work is imbued in popular culture and I often use pop-art strategies with a variety of resources and tools: sound and video editing software, Internet, digital photography and digital coloring, in an approach influenced by David Hockney, Yoshitomo Nara or even Takashi Murakami in its blurring of high and low culture. I understand the difference in impact and reach of mass-produced images from that of unique artworks, and I'm aware of the joys, possibilities and limitations of both channels of circulation. With this in mind, I attempt to bridge the gap with pieces that circulate and relate in a more intimate manner to the general public, while bringing some of the apparent lightness and sense of humor of popular culture into the Art world.

I am currently working on the drawings series Paisajes Emocionales [Emotional Landscapes], where I explore human emotions inspired by different kinds of information visualization, like ancient cartography and medical drawings from the Japanese Edo period (17th century). This atlas of human emotions is to be published by Planta Baja, an independent artists-run press in Brooklyn, NY, in 2020.

BIO

Nobara Hayakawa is a Japanese born Colombian artist, musician and published author of children's books. BA in Graphic Design by the National University of Colombia and MA in Fine Arts by the Tokyo University of the Arts, she's been active in the academic world as an Art and Design teacher at Pontifical Xaverian University, the University of Los Andes and Jorge Tadeo Lozano Univesity for more than 15 years.  In 2000 she was awarded the Mombukagakusho Scholarship by the Ministry of Education of Japan to pursue her Master's degree in Fine Arts, graduating in 2003 from the Tokyo University of the Arts. 

She's exhibited her paintings, drawings, ceramics, videos and photographs in both group and individual shows in Bogotá, Syracuse and Tokyo since 2005. She's also performed in a variety of venues both in Japan and Colombia and has been commissioned to compose and perform music for theater, radio and animation projects. She's also directed music videos and continues to work as a graphic designer devoted to art and art-related projects. In 2019 she was part of the 45th Salón Nacional de Artistas showing a selection of her street photographs taken during the last decade, and her next solo show is scheduled for July 2020 at Almost Perfect, Tokyo.

She wrote and illustrated "Nubarrón" [Storm Cloud] (Planeta Lector, 2018) and illustrated "Lupe y Lolo" (Rey Naranjo, 2016), "Hola, miedo" [Hello, Fear] (Planeta Junior, 2018), "Hola, rabia" [Hello, Anger] (Planeta Junior, 2019) and "Hola, tristeza" [Hello, Sadness] (Planeta Junior, 2019)."Hola, gratitud" [Hello, Gratitude], the 4th book in a series about basic emotions for children, will be released in the summer of 2020 by Planeta Junior.

ARTIST LINKS

Personal website: http://nobarahayakawa.com/

IG http://instagram.com/nobarin