Exhibitions | MAKI Gallery | MAKI

We are pleased to present, Republic, a solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist, Kaz Oshiro. The artist ‘paints’ on canvas, amps and cabinets, dumpsters and so on, with such verisimilitude that one might mistake them for the real thing. Through this, he asks us what ‘Painting’ and ‘Art’ are. Some may associate the exhibition title with Plato’s treatise of the same name. In this treatise, Plato expounds his famous ‘theory of forms’, using the metaphor of ‘the myth of the cave’ to elucidate how difficult it is for us to know truth and beauty. Neither the artist himself, nor we who view his work, can come close to the essence of things so easily. This exhibition title expresses the artist’s lonely struggle to investigate and express the true nature of painting, as well as challenging the viewer to stand on the same ground.

Republic will focus on Oshiro’s representative works over the course of his career. It will be the inaugural exhibition at MAKI Gallery / Tennoz, Tokyo, held in conjunction with the opening of the new space, MAKI. We invite you to take this opportunity to view this exhibition, which will make bold use of this new space and provide rich insight into Oshiro’s oeuvre thus far.