ETSU EGAMI works show at Asian Art Museum San Francisco
- Gen de Art
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
At <Celebrity Forms and Figures> Exhibition, these two portraits by Japanese artist Etsu Egami feature Korean pop culture celebrities.
It is an eclectic mix of ancient and up-to-the-minute works engaging with the theme of celebrity.
Inspired by the aura of global fame and popularity in <Hallyu! The Korean Wave> at Asian Art Museum San Francisco, the Koret Korean Galleries currently highlight artworks that speak to the idea of celebrity in a variety of creative ways.
Both works are on public view for the first time in Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
These two abstract paintings sprouted from a series of interviews the artist title 1 Acorn Project. Growing up in different countries, Etsu Egami has faced interesting communication challenges. Here she asked her fellow pop stars to write down their message on an acorn, as the medium for a game of telephone. This collaborative work makes usual the difficulty of conveying accurate meanings through conversation.
The artist captured the physiognomy of her friends during the interviews and turned the drawings into abstracted portrait paintings. Alternating vivid hues and brushstrokes embody the emotions of the artist when interacting with her friends.
Both actively engaging with fans around the globe, actors Lee Byung-hun and I see SangHeon Lee represent different generations of Korean films and dramas. The Hallyu exhibition is dedicated to celebrating the global aspect of Korean pop culture and exploring how art, with its universal qualities, can serve as a bridge for people from different backgrounds.
Regarding the inclusion of Egami, a Japanese artist,Curator YoonJee Choi notes: “These paintings reflect a global friendship; the artist and her subjects don’t speak each other’s language fluently, but they communicate through art. Collaboration within Asia creates another unique identity, especially for our generation. I think it’s an ongoing diasporic conversation, and my personal suggestion and answer is to embrace yourself. You don’t have to define yourself based on a nation; you just have to define who you are.”
“During my intervlew for the portrait, I felt as if the artist was trying to see into my seoul.
I began to wonder, would I be able to see a different side of myself that I never knew exhibited.”
――――Words by actor Lee ByungHun
“Never did anyone come up with an interview like Egami. Unique, colourful, bold, curious, gentle and mesmerising. That is what she is and continue to be.”
――――Words by actor Lee Sangheon
Celebrity Forms and Figures
Place : Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
Etsu Egami was born in Japan and is a representative artist of the third generation of post-war Japanese artists who is active internationally. Mainly active in the United States, China and Europe. Continuously listed on FORBES 30 UNDER 30, and was selected by Forbes as one of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, she was selected as an emerging artist by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and sent to New York. She won the BB Artist Prize of the Year Award in 2023. In 2024 , collaborated with fashion brand DIOR and exhibited at the Asian Museum in San Francisco, USA.
