Tomoko Hisamatsu, “300 Yen Paintings” 2020-, 176 x 250mm each work, acrylic and collage on paper, etc.
Born and raised in Mie, Japan, Tomoko Hisamatsu studied in Yamagata, and is now based near Tokyo. As a painter, she creates mainly research-based figurative works. Tomoko’s practice is marked by her interactions with various local communities from different geographic conditions.
In recent years, the artist has applied the concept of ‘geopolitical economy of art’ in her paintings and drawings to investigate how geographical and economic conditions affect art. Her ongoing project titled 300 Yen Paintings or $3 Paintings that was launched in 2020 is a series of works on paper similar in size that the artist sells at a very modest price in different rural, urban, suburban, and online locations. Through this research, the artist attempts to create an alternative system to dissolve the gap between the high culture and the low.
Tomoko has exhibited in Japan including NADiff a/p/a/r/t (Tokyo); Mitsukoshi Contemporary Gallery (Tokyo); Ohara Museum of Art (Kurashiki); Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Taro Okamoto Museum of Art (Kawasaki). She was awarded the Incentive Prize of the 7th Koji Kinutani Prize (2015) and the Toshiko Okamoto Award (2nd Prize) of the 18th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (2015). Her works are in the collection of the Ohara Museum of Art (Kurashiki, Japan) and Takahashi Collection (Tokyo).
tomokohisamatsujp.wordpress.com
Tomoko Hisamatsu’s residency is made possible through AAI’s ongoing partnership with Residency Unlimited and with support from the Grants for Overseas Study by Young Artists, POLA Art Foundation.