Nara Roesler is pleased to announce the representation of Asuka Anastasia Ogawa (1988, Tokyo, Japan) in collaboration with BLUM. Born in Japan, Ogawa spent part of her childhood and adolescence in Brazil, completed her studies in Sweden, and graduated from Central Saint Martins College in London. The cultural diversity that permeated her formative years greatly impacted her artistic production, incorporating different visual references, religions, and traditions.
Ogawa’s dreamlike paintings characteristically depict androgynous children with almond-shaped eyes that gaze far beyond the limits of the canvas and are set against vibrant monochrome backgrounds. Though the compositions do not have definite themes, Ogawa's images mainly refer to her Japanese and Afro-Brazilian ancestry, in her words: "Although I don't have a specific theme in mind when I paint, I'm always thinking about my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and our ancestors' beauty, strength, struggle, and love."
This ancestral legacy is visible through other elements of Ogawa’s paintings, such as clothing, adornments, objects, and animals juxtaposed in compositions that enigmatically portray everyday events, such as an individual doing laundry or a game between children. Ogawa engages with ideas of affection and spiritual rites, creating often ambiguous and mysterious settings charged with hybrid symbolism that echoes her diverse roots.
In March 2024, Nara Roesler São Paulo presented 'Melinha,' Asuka Anastasia Ogawa's first solo exhibition in Brazil, featuring a set of thirteen new paintings, the result of the artist's most recent research developments. Between July and August of the same year, new works by the artist were part of the group exhibition 'Japan In/Out Brazil,' in dialogue with works by Tomie Ohtake and Lydia Okumura. In June 2025, the artist will participate in an artistic residency at Pivô Salvador. This will be the first time the artist produces works in the country. In September of this year, Nara Roesler will present a solo project by the artist at @artrio's SOLO sector.
In recent years, Ogawa has held solo exhibitions such as Melinha (Nara Roesler São Paulo, 2024); Pedra (Blum&Poe, Los Angeles, USA, 2023), Tamago (Blum&Poe, Los Angeles, USA, 2022), Feijão (Half Gallery, New York, USA, 2019) and Soup (Henry Taylor's, Los Angeles, USA, 2017). She has also participated in group shows such as Room by room: concepts, themes, and artists in the Rachosfky Collection (The Warehouse, Dallas, USA, 2023), Co-respondences: Brazil and Abroad (Nara Roesler, New York, USA, 2023), 5471 Miles (Blum&Poe, Los Angeles, USA, 2020), Early 21st Century Art (Almine Rech Gallery, London, UK, 2018), and Don't Eat Me (Deli Gallery, New York, USA, 2018). Her work is included in the collections of the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas, USA), the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (Durham, USA), and the X Museum (Beijing, China).