Gajin Fujita’s Latest Solo Show Features His Most Personal and Political Work
Paintings and drawings in True Colors harken back to the social and political climate of the past three years.
Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita), 2023 by Gajin Fujita (silver leaf, palladium leaf, 23.75K gold leaf, spray paint, Sakura streak marker, and paint markers on three wood panels, 72 by 60 inches). Photo courtesy L.A. Louver.
Gajin Fujita, ’97 BFA Fine Arts
“Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita) is a portrait of [Gajin] Fujita’s mother. Based on a photograph taken in the artist’s garden, this painting is saturated with symbolism and feeling.
In its essence, Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita) is a lamentation of times gone by. On the right of Chitose Fujita is a palm tree with lush green fronds, and on her left is a lamp post made in the style of the old Los Angeles fixtures that the artist saw growing up on the east side of the city. Chitose Fujita stands prominently in the foreground holding a beautiful yellow hibiscus flower, her favorite, with the setting sun dramatically illuminating the skyline of downtown L.A. This view is depicted from the perspective of the artist’s childhood home in Boyle Heights.
The setting sun, flying elephants, and green ribbon on Chitose Fujita’s shirt allude to her current fight against Alzheimer’s disease.” —from the catalog Gajin Fujita: True Colors
Fujita’s exhibition at L.A. Louver, True Colors, on view through May 6, 2023, is his most personal and political work to date. Most of the paintings were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 6, 2023 Fujita toured True Colors with Otis College students, staff, and faculty. It is his sixth solo exhibition at L.A. Louver, which has represented him for over two decades. His work is in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, LACMA, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. More information about Fujita and the show can be found on the L.A. Louver website.
Gajin Fujita paints alongside his mother, Chitose Fujita. Photograph by Angela Lee Fujita.
Gajin Fujita discusses his painting, Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita), for a tour of Otis College students at his solo show at L.A. Louver, True Colors. Photograph by Danielle Vega/Otis College of Art and Design.
Game of Drones, 2022 by Gajin Fujita (spray paint, 12K and 23.75K gold leaf, acrylic, streaks, Metalhead paint markers, and paint markers on six wood panels, 72 by 120 inches). Photo courtesy L.A. Louver.
Home Field LA, 2020 by Gajin Fuita (24k gold leaf, 12k white gold leaf, spray paint, acrylics, paint markers, and Sakura streak markers on three wood panels, 72 by 60 inches). Photograph courtesy L.A. Louver.
Gallery view of Gajin Fujita's True Colors solo show at L.A. Louver. Photograph by Danielle Vega/Otis College of Art and Design.