BIOGRAPHY

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 often gaze outside thinking about materials for my work. I wonder when I’m on the street, what is the best material for that women’s hat on my canvas? In the dark subway platform, which black do I need for this place? It’s fun watching people, in the train, on the street, and in the parks, etc. Recently, I realized the most important thing is to know the finishing moment in my work, or else the image speaks too loudly or noisily. I put my favorite painter’s postcards on the wall in my studio. They help me decide the correct moment for completion of my work. Every material and color has its own words.” –Hiroko Wada