Saya Okubo @Art Fair Tokyo 2019
Art Fair Tokyo 2019 has opened, and we visited on the first day when only VIP AFT cardholders and Premium 4DAY Pass holders could enter.
This first-day preview, held ahead of the general opening, is when many collectors and industry insiders gather with the goal of quickly securing works by popular artists, and the venue was filled with the enthusiasm befitting an art festival.
Just after the press view came to a close, the first gallery booth this writer visited was “WAITINGROOM.”
We stopped by because works by Saya Okubo had been drawing attention among collectors ahead of the fair.
The works exhibited at Art Fair Tokyo were the four pieces shown below.
Of the four, only three were still available for purchase at the start of the first day — a narrow gate indeed.
In fact, about two weeks before the first day of Art Fair Tokyo, an advance work list released to inquiring clients featured as many as 17 new works. Of these, 14 were sold from the list alone — remarkable popularity!
This writer, too, had rushed straight to the booth wanting to see Okubo’s works in person and hoping to buy one if I liked them. But after wandering off to check on other pieces I was interested in and to visit booths of artists I’m close with, by the time I returned, Okubo’s works were completely sold out. What’s more, they had sold out almost the instant the private view began. So frustrating!!
A major part of the appeal of Okubo’s works lies in the technique behind her distinctive production method.
After painting a ground layer in acrylic, she fixes masking tape onto the canvas and then applies layer after layer of oil paint on top. She peels the tape off before the paint has fully dried, and this is what leaves the distinctive brush marks that characterize her work.
The canvas surface after the masking tape is stripped away carries records of oil-paint cross-sections that look as if they were cut with a sharp knife, and this distinctive painterly surface offers pleasing stimulation to the eye.
We were able to interview a collector of Saya Okubo’s works, and quote his comments below.
Comments from Collector M
At a glance, I was drawn to her sense of style and contemporary feel. Looking more closely, the almost human-like lines that begin to emerge express the internal images each person carries within their own gestures.
The material presence of the oil paint, which doesn’t fully come through on screen, adds pressure to the work and gives it a real sense of presence.
I have great respect for her stance of taking on the world of contemporary art through two-dimensional works, and I bought this piece to show my intention to support her going forward.
We look forward to the many more works she will create to captivate us in the future.
Overview
Art Fair Tokyo 2019
Venue: Tokyo International Forum, Hall E
Dates: Thursday, March 7 – Sunday, March 10, 2019 (4 days; final admission 30 minutes before closing each day)
Press View: Thursday, March 7, 13:00-14:00
Private View: Thursday, March 7, 14:00-16:00
Vernissage: Thursday, March 7, 16:00-20:00
Public View: Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9, 11:00-20:00; Sunday, March 10, 11:00-17:00
Admission: Advance ticket / 1DAY passport 4,000 yen (tax incl.); Same-day ticket / 1DAY passport 5,000 yen (tax incl.) (Elementary school-aged children and younger admitted free only when accompanied by an adult)
