Oil on canvas

45 x 38 cm. 17 3/4 × 15 in.

Titled in Japanese, signed in English and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

My Sweet Moment
A Bear Is Kept Waiting for Toast by Ulala Imai

At Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Ulala Imai's work was featured in the exhibition space of New York's Karma Gallery, which represents artists such as Matthew Wong and Jonas Wood. This post-80s Japanese female artist has been influenced by her oil painter father, and has loved art since she was a child. She finished her PhD courses in Art and Design from Tama Art University in Tokyo in 2009 and was awarded the Shell Art Prize in 2012. Inspired by her own warm family, she paints common foods, toys, flowers and plants in her life, which is full of simple happiness. In recent years, she has held numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and London, and has gained popularity among collectors. “Bear” is the doll and best friend of Imai's children, and is often the main character for her. In her paintings, the bear is anthropomorphised, and is combined with the fun of a melodrama, with a variety of emotions. This theme is so iconic that it was chosen as the cover of her catalogue, demonstrating the artist's great affection for it. For the autumn auction, we present A Bear Is Kept Waiting for Toast, a painting featuring a bear, showing a warm world.

In the painting, Imai delicately combed the wood texture of the table and chairs with warm brown and yellow colours, and used the elongated projection of the furniture to subtly show the quiet arrival of the morning light. Her impressionistic, unadorned brushstrokes give the impression of relaxation, as if entering a room filled with sunlight. At the dining table, a cream-coloured bear sits in a chair as if waiting patiently for breakfast. Its round black eyes look out of the painting, as if it is politely saying thank you. On the white porcelain plate with a floral pattern, the lightly browned golden surface of the toast is soft and tasty thanks to the misty brushwork. Ulala Imai, in her dual roles as mother and artist, carefully captures the fleeting moments of everyday life, evoking a sense of warmth.

Price estimate:
HKD 120,000 – 180,000
USD 15,400 – 23,100