Yuji Hiratsuka

• Born in 1954, Osaka.

• Graduated from Tokyo Art Teachers' University.

• Received MA in 1987 from New Mexico State University.

• Received MFA in 1990 from Indiana University.

 

A young artist of prodigious talent and singular style, Yuji Hiratsuka is quickly becoming one of the most widely revered Japanese printmakers among contemporary American audiences.

 

Known for his witty and skillful handling of human faces, Hiratsuka always leaves his visages blank, his compositions void of eyes and noses. Such practice testifies to his belief that the face is always changing, that attempts to ossify expression only thwart the  ability of the viewer to project his or her own interpretation onto a given piece. The goal of his portraiture, therefore, is ambiguity. By suggesting rather than expressing, Hiratsuka leaves his faces open to constant revision and secures for his artistry both mood -  and timelessness.

 

Collections:

Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, San Francisco.

British Museum.

Central Museum, Tokyo.

International Graphic Arts Foundation, Connecticut.

Print Club, Philadelphia.

 

Solo Exhibitions:

1983: Clark Arts Center, Illinois.                         

1983, 84, 85, 93: Aukan Gallery, Osaka.                         

1989-92: Greene Art Gallery, Guilford, Connecticut.                

 

Group Exhibitions:

1988: Sao Paulo International Print Biennial

1993: Print Club, Philadelphia.

1995: Japanese Moment, Finland.

1996: Kochi International Triennial Exhibition of Prints, Kochi.