Masamitsu Shigeta Japanese, b. 1992

Masamitsu Shigeta presents anti-pastoral landscapes depicting nature and architecture within New York City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and other cities he spends a significant amount of time visiting. Shigeta plays with painting conventions by shifting the medium toward sculpture, either by shaping his canvas or utilizing custom framing devices, often consisting of materials found around the city or recycling materials found in his studio. Further, Shigeta relates his work to sound and music, “physicality is like volume. I want to make it loud or quiet, as performative as live music or as clear as the sound from a radio.” Color is like a cord in how it contributes to the overall impression of a painting. Gestures are the speed, tempo, and rhythm. Mark-making expresses how the energy moves throughout the composition. Akin to a refrain, Shigeta often repeats the shape or imagery across multiple works, exemplifying how a shift in scale and color palette affects the mood.

 

Masamitsu Shigeta (b. 1992, Tokyo, Japan) lives and works in Hoboken, NJ. He holds an MFA from New York University and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. Shigeta has held solo exhibitions with SITUATIONS, NY, which was reviewed in The Brooklyn Rail, and Tyler Park Presents, LA. He has been in group exhibitions at The Landing, LA, Chinatown Soup Gallery, NY, and 80WSE, NY.