Philip Colbert presents his “hyper-pop realism” at Tokyo’s Galerie Nichido

Whoever said art could not be fun has yet to be introduced to the work of Philip Colbert. Over the years, the British artist has earned international recognition for his multidisciplinary approach (Philip even designs clothes) and easily identifiable “hyper-pop realism”. His “World of Art” is now the subject of an exhibition at Tokyo’s Galerie Nichido, the artist’s first solo show in the city. On September 4th, Colbert presented a series of new large-scale paintings as well as mini-sculptures of his “alter-ego”, the cartoon red lobster (which is also the hero of Colbert’s very first VR game). His work finds in Galerie Nichido, which specializes in western art in Japan since 1928, the perfect setting. If you pay attention, you’ll notice the lobster, which is sometimes sporting a crown and an “Avengers” shield, is dressed just the same as the artist greeting his guests during the opening: with that same fried-egg suit – also a product of Colbert’s fully inclusive art. The artist was championed by none other than Charles Saatchi, who fell in love with his paintings mixing classical references like Van Gogh’s self portraits or Egon Schiele sketches with emojis and computer generated images, so you know he is on the path of becoming an icon of his time. A must-see for every Tokyo-based art lover, the exhibition also marks the launch of Say Who Japan. Just as it’s been doing in Paris for over 10 years, the Say Who Japan team will uncover the best of what the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer in terms of culture, events, and people.