Suzuki Sora solo exhibition "A dream of becoming a dog"

July 29 - August 14, 2023
1-7pm
Closed on Mon*, Tue and Wed.
*open on Aug. 14.
*Opening reception：July 29, 5-7pm
Anyone can participate in the opening reception.

Shimokitazawa Arts is pleased to announce to present a solo exhibition "A dream of becoming a dog" by Suzuki Sora.
She was born in Aichi pref. Japan, 1999, graduated from Oil painting, Aichi University of the Arts, 2023 and is currently in MFA, oil painting, Aichi University of the Arts. This show is her first solo exhibition and the first show outside Aichi pref.

Suzuki loves and wants to keep a Shiba Inu, but she is convinced that it will not come true because of the current living environment and if she keeps one, she will not be able to lead a normal life due to indulgence. And, one winter, she started to think of becoming a painter because of the experience of painting on a warmer that my friend had almost every day and making her happy. Such a predilection for dogs and art love gave birth to a laid back classical painting homage work.
Suzuki has never seen the real thing about any of the works that she paid tribute to, and she draws all of them with reference to books and images. After researching the creative background and allegory of each masterpiece, she consider each person and animal depicted as an individual, a life with a unique personality. She put her personal thoughts on may people and animals in the paintings be happy, and sometimes add bold deformations to create them.
First of all, please take a look at Suzuki's paintings. After that, please take a look at the images of the homage works. I cant't help but feel the humor, irony and pathos that make us laugh. And I feel that it gives each and every one of us who live in a reality that is not only happy now and in the past a little courage to relax and live naturally.

Artist statement

I paint because I want to see "a happy and cute world for me".
In human society, there has always been, and still is, a tragedy that has happened somewhere in the world, and there is art that expresses that tragedy.
But I personally prefer comedy to tragedy. If it comes true, I want to be smiling all the time and I want to be natural.
I think that the people in the masterpieces with serious faces also laughed or looked absent-minded. That's why I arbitrarily add lines to classical paintings and overwrite them.
Even now, sad things continue to happen, but anything can come true in the picture, so I change it into a happy world for me.
And I add a dog, the cutest in the universe for me.
I hope that the happiness for me can be conveyed even just a little to those who have seen my work.

About the exhibition's title "A dream of becoming a dog"

Most of the things I want to do and things I want to achieve cannot be realized immediately. Doraemon's Moshimo Box doesn't exist, so I have no choice but to work hard one step at a time every day, but sometimes I feel like I cheated and made my dreams come true. For me, painting is the same act as dreaming. I can do what I want to do in painting, and I can do things that are realistically impossible. I can't be a dog, but I can dream of being a dog.

Suzuki Sora

Born in Aichi pref. Japan, 1999.
2023　Graduation from Painting, Aichi University of the Arts
2023　Current in Painting, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Aichi University of the Arts

Group exhibition
2022
"Pre." Kawaijuku Art Institute Art Space NAF, Nagoya, Japan
"1999-2000" Art Space Scala, Nagoya, Japan
"toy pray" Civic Art Gallery Yada, Nagoya, Japan

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