Showing: Mr. – “Sunset in My Heart” @ Lehmann Maupin

Currently at the New York outpost of Lehmann Maupin, Sunset in My Heart from Japanese artist Mr. will be display through August 12th. For this new body of work, the former protégé of Takashi Murakami has created a series of anime and otaku culture inspired pieces painted on distressed and sullied canvases, accented by graffiti. This technique of first burning his canvases and then leaving them on his studio floor to collect dirt and debris is inspired by his interest in the Italian art movement “Arte Povera” from the 60s as a young artist where he first created his manga paintings on store receipts, takeout menus, and other scraps. This look to the past in the new work is more positive and hopeful in nature compared to his first reactions to the Tsunami disaster of 2011.