Susumu Kamijo is back with his abstracted poodle artwork in a new exhibition, entitled, “How Was Your Summer?” at Harper’s gallery in East Hampton. Born in Japan and now based in Brooklyn, the artist takes a singular subject, usually humans and animals — most specifically poodles — and abstracts them through a blend of materials, aesthetic styles and line work.
“How Was Your Summer?” introduces 15 new poodle portraits that are sublimated to their most essential shapes and features. The minimal backdrop allows every eery aspect, such as porcelain-like teeth and elongated facial features to jump off the canvas and into the psyche of the viewer. The artist is influenced by a variety of legendary sources, such as Francis Bacon’s controversial screaming pope paintings, Philip Guston’s smoking characters to Willem de Kooning’s amorphic nudes.
Kamijo deconstructs the notion of the poodle as a timid and precious dog, by bringing darker, unsettling motifs to the surface. “How Was Your Summer?” will be on view at Harper’s East Hampton location until September 29.
On the topic of surreal portraiture, Christian Rex van Mitten is also exhibiting an extensive new body of work at NANZUKA.
Harper’s
87 Newtown Lane
East Hampton, NY 11937
