Oil on canvas

41 × 31.8 cm. 16 1/8 × 12 1/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom left
PROVENANCE
White Stone Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by White Stone Gallery, Hong Kong

When Looking Back, The Iridescence of Eyes
A Series of Iconic Works by Etsu Egami

Etsu Egami, born in Japan in 1994, was selected as one of the youngest artists ever to be shortlisted for the Sovereign Art Foundation's “Outstanding Artists of Asia” in 2019, and be listed for the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020. Her work has been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Grand Palais in Paris, and the Jurassic Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, etc. In 2019, Etsu Egami was selected by Whitestone Gallery, which has represented Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara, for a solo exhibition, Your Name? which won widespread attention from academics and art lovers alike, presenting mainly the series Confusion by Brushing Past. This spring sale, Confusion by Brushing Past 2019-103 is one of the artworks in this series.

Etsu Egami grew up in the United States and is now studying for her PhD at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, as well as studying at the National Academy of Design in Karlsruhe, Germany. Her experience of living in different parts of the world has given her a deep understanding of the “misinterpretation” often caused by people's different cultures, languages and experiences. She then uses a wordless artistic vocabulary to express the semi-abstract paintings of people who pass by and meet each other in life in an ambiguous way. On the other hand, “rainbow” is her key symbolic language, as a metaphor for the ideal of parallel birth, hope and equality.

In this work, a young girl with flowing hair is painted in iridescent parallel lines, the warm orange curves of which frame her rounded face looking down to the lower right, with a light pink tinge. She looks hazy and silent, as if she is ashamed to speak her mind or timid because she is trapped in a barrier. The pale purple parallels in the background create a misty, ambiguous scene that appears to be real. Through this, the artist crosses the “language” barrier with the viewer and engages in a heartfelt and moving interplay of colour and line.

Price estimate:
HKD: 40,000 – 80,000
USD: 5,100 – 10,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 84,000