GO SUGA | Splash, splash

July 28th, 2022 - September 15th, 2022

Crossing Art is pleased to present Splash, Splash, the solo exhibition of new paintings by Australia-based Japanese artist Go Suga. This is his first exhibition with the gallery in the United States that showcases his latest works during the past one year. The exhibition will be on view at Crossing Art gallery in Chelsea, New York from July 28, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022, with a grand opening reception on Thursday, July 28 from 7 – 9 p.m..

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Suga now lives and works on the Gold Coast, Australia. He combines his native eastern culture with the modern surf lifestyle into his painting with the mix of abstract and graphical forms, folksy patterns and textures, along with bright colors. This exhibition is out of an appreciation of the culturally diverse social landscape. Based on the aqua, liquid and fluid texture of the exhibited works, Go Suga brings a sense of hot summer vibe with the watery splash sound from Golden Coast to New York City this summer.

As British philosopher Alan Watts said, we thought of life by analogy with a journey, a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.  Go Suga draws deeper inspiration from Alan Watts’s  self-styled philosophical entertainment and wishes to act as a bridge between East and West, and between culture and nature. Suga’s work often includes discussions reflecting his keen interest in patterns that occur in nature and which are repeated in various ways and at a wide range of scales.

Go Suga also loves hiding some funny words in his paintings, just like a puzzle guessing game. “ACHII”, which means “HOT” in Japanese and the word “HOTA” in the title of this piece stands for “Home Of The Arts”, the iconic Gold Coast destination where art, entertainment, culture and lifestyle meet. Through his works, you may get the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

About Artist

Go Suga (b. 1980) is an Australia-based artist best known for his truly unique and enchantingly vibrant illustrations. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Go’s journey as an artist began during childhood as he grew up drawing with his brothers. His move to Australia at 10 years old greatly impacted his work, and he now combines the social, political, and cultural aspects of both of his known environments in his illustrations, tying together the rhythmic elements of traditional Eastern philosophy with those of the bright and vivid Australian lifestyle. This meshing of ideologies is reflected in Go’s work through the mix of both abstract and graphical forms, bright contrasting colors, and different patterns and textures. Go obtained his diploma in Graphic Design from TAFE Gold Coast in Australia, where he now lives and works with the Gold Coast City Council as one of his clients. 

Go has done commissions for The Washington Post, HERSHEY’s Chocolate, and The Big Issue Australia. As of 2014 he is one of 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace represented artists in the Gold Coast, and has been exhibited globally in various institutions that include the Michael Reed Gallery, Berlin; James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia; and Ambitious, Japan.