Hiroko Wada

At the beginning of her lengthy artistic career, the main theme of Hiroko Wada’s work was oil paintings of masked children in whimsical poses, hiding their true feelings. For her work spanning from 1976 to 1980, Hiroko was nominated for and won several awards in Japan. Following that, she moved to Paris for six years and studied tempera, oil and other painting techniques. Upon returning to Japan, Hiroko devoted herself to multi-media collages. Her subjects of interest throughout the 1980’s to the early 2000s were abstract figures and flowers and other abstractions evocative of various shapes of nature. Over the past two decades she has transitioned to works in charcoal as well as different motifs such as cityscapes. Currently, she continues to explore themes of contrast between human figures and geometric shapes found in urban environments.

Hiroko Wada has had 13 solo exhibitions, mainly in the Tokyo area, in addition to her New York shows.

Artist’s Statement:

"I have always been interested in the shapes and forms of people. From the stillness of a woman sitting in a cafe to the motion of people strolling down the sidewalk, form and movement have always fascinated me.

These days, I am captivated by dancers and the beauty of the movement and their grace and agility. I love how they always surprise us in the most unexpected and delightful ways.It’s like entering another world. I try to capture the essence of their artistic expression with my own."

—Hiroko Wada