Whitestone Gallery Karuizawa is pleased to announce ‘Chocolate river’ by the well-known fake cream artist, Osamu Watanabe. Brought up by his mother who was a teacher at a school of confectionery, the artist found “sweets” as a symbol of his own happy memories in his childhood and started to produce artworks when he entered Tokyo Zokei University. Since 2000, he has been producing ‘fake cream art’ which consists of model animals and historical artworks in decorated resins made up in the form of fake creams, macaroons, ice creams, and fruits. While his works may seem merely fanciful, they can be seen as actually enabling people to re-describe materials and stereotypes by looking at objects which have been created from his unique viewpoint. In the three years since his last solo show at Karuizawa, he now returns with some new ironic works inspired by Edvard Munch’s Scream, Korin Ogata’s Red and White Plum Blossoms, etc.

Karuizawa Gallery2, 3

 

1F / KARUIZAWA NEW ART MUSEUM, 1151-5 Karuizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano, 389-0102, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)267 46 8691


Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 (October – June) , 10:00 – 18:00 (July – September)
Closed: Tuesday (*7 days a week in August)

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ARTIST

WATANABE OSAMU
Since 2000, Osamu Watanabe has been working in the field of "Fake Cream Art" which he defines as a new genre that makes full use of fake food to create decorative, edible-looking treats on various motifs. His mother used to teach at a confectionary school which has inspired all things sweet since his childhood. With a pastry bag as his paintbrush, the combination of artificial food and fine art enables him to create long-lasting pieces that transform the familiar into a brand-new context. He has transformed famous masterpieces (Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Kano Eitoku) into delectable reproductions using modeling paste and wax. Other tasteful renditions include animal sculptures, Greek sculptures, landscape paintings, and world heritage sites. Watanabe's works have appeared on television, exhibitions at department stores, along with collaborations in animations, and beauty salons, making him accessible to people who are unfamiliar with the art. 
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