Expressing the fruits of cultivating the soil of "boundaries" while traveling the world.
A solo exhibition by contemporary artist Oscar Oiwa, titled " Harvest of Light - Harvesting Light (Subtitle: Cultivating the In-Between), " will be held at GOCA by Garde , an art gallery participating in " ART FAIR TOKYO 20, " one of Japan's largest art fairs , from March 13th (Fri) to March 15th (Sun), 2026. GOCA by Garde, based in New York, serves as a hub for introducing Japanese and Asian artists to the world, exhibiting a diverse range of works including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. It aims to be a new cultural hub that plays a role in globally disseminating contemporary Japanese and Asian art.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil to Japanese parents, Oiwa lived in Tokyo before moving to New York, where he is currently based. This exhibition focuses on works inspired by the quintessential Japanese landscape of "rice paddies" and "food (bento boxes and food stalls)" rooted in people's daily lives, presenting the theme of "boundaries (in-between)" that Oiwa has explored for many years. Drawing on his own experiences traversing multiple cultural spheres—Brazil, Japan, and the United States—he unfolds a unique worldview where culture, memory, and landscape intersect.
Highlights of this exhibition
Oscar Oiwa defines himself as an "artist in between worlds." His experience growing up between the different cultures of Brazil and Japan has given him a unique sensitivity to contrast and hybridity. Through everyday motifs, Oiwa's characteristic "coexistence of humor and anxiety" is expressed, and by subtly transforming everyday landscapes into something "impossible," a space is created that prompts us to re-examine our relationship with the environment we pass through every day.
Oscar Oiwa
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1965. After graduating from the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of São Paulo in 1989, he moved to Tokyo in 1991. Since 2002, he has been based in New York.He develops diverse forms of expression, including drawings, paintings, large-scale installations, and public art, and has held over 200 exhibitions worldwide (including more than 60 solo exhibitions). Notable venues include the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, and the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris.
He has also received international acclaim in the field of public art, completing the permanent mosaic mural "Woodside Window" for the New York City Subway (MTA) in 2025. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Medal of Honor with Dark Blue Ribbon in 2019. Furthermore, he has received numerous internationally prestigious grants and fellowships from organizations such as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.