Shohei Otomo

Shohei Otomo (born 1980), sometimes stylized professionally as SHOHEI, is a Japanese artist known for his drawings with ballpoint pens.

Early life

Shohei Otomo was born in 1980[1] and grew up in Tokyo.[2] He is the son of manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo and his wife, Yoko.[3] Starting at three or four years old, Otomo began drawing every day. He always envisioned that he would become an artist. His father did not give him drawing advice or lessons, and Shohei unsuccessfully tried to avoid being influenced by his artistic style, saying, "I had no intention of being influenced by my father, but now I see the influence in my work."[2]

Career

Medium

Shohei Otomo studied oil painting while he attended Tama Art University,[2] but switched to ballpoint pens to create ink art, as oil paints are expensive.[3] He prefers ink pens to pencils, as pencils left a silvery finish he found undesirable.[4] He uses "ordinary ballpoints that you can buy anywhere for about 80 yen".[4] Additionally, he uses permanent markers for coloring in objects.[4] He creates the drawings on paperboard,[2] though, at one gallery exhibition in Japan, he applied acrylic paint to a human model in a live sketching session.[5] He spends up to a month on an illustration.[3] A 2017 exhibition in Australia marked his first use of sculpture: He designed a sumo wrestler, which he then illustrated with tattoo-like graphics.[2]

Inspiration and symbolism

Otomo's work blends references to ukiyo-e, a kind of traditional Japanese art, and clichés that the rest of the world has about Japan.[1] The works often contain tension between opposing concepts, such as traditionalism and progress, the Eastern and Western worlds, or order and chaos. His work is inspired by stress of Tokyo, a city he finds "suffocating".[3]

Style

Otomo's illustrations are described as hyperrealistic[6] with cyberpunk elements.[7] When including human figures in his art, he tends to cover their eyes with goggles, justifying this by saying, "if you show the eyes, the character’s presence overwhelms the picture".[4] The only colors he present in his art are black, white, and red, which he states is inspired by the color combination's use in ancient Japanese makeup: "the only colors used were red, black, and white: red lipstick, black teeth—Japanese women used to paint their teeth black—and white powder."[4]

Exhibitions

His first art exhibition was in the US at DalArts gallery in Kansas City[5] in the early 2000s.[2] In 2012, he had his first art exhibition in Australia with an exhibition called Fool's Paradise.[8] In 2017, he had this third gallery exhibition in Australia.[2] Australian gallery director Alexander Mitchell of Backwoods Gallery called Otomo "most talented person I know", saying, "His technique is incredible, his work is flawless and his imagery is awe inspiring."[9]

He has additionally had his work displayed in exhibitions in France, Italy, and Mexico.[10]

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References
  1. Gori, Jennifer (23 September 2015). "The Cynical Modern Japan of Shohei Otomo". Beautiful Bizarre. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. Bailey, John (21 November 2017). "Tattooed sumo stars as artist Shohei Otomo brings his ballpoints to Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. Reich, Hannah (3 December 2017). "Akira creator's son Shohei Otomo illustrates 'unhappiness' at heart of modern Japan". ABC. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. Kosuga, Tomo (1 November 2008). "SHOHEI". Vice. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. Creative Bloq Staff (9 February 2011). "Shohei". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. "Shohei Otomo: Back and Forth". The Stranger. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  7. "Shohei Otomo - Fool's Paradise". Lesley Kehoe Galleries. 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. "Shohei Otomo's 'Fool's Paradise'". Japan in Melbourne. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  9. Henry, Roland (21 November 2017). ""Ora Ora" – Shohei Otomo at Backwoods, Melbourne". Street Art News. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. "13 Art Fair – Urban Contemporary". Hellion Gallery. 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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