Yukimasa Ida - 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Day Sale Hong Kong Tuesday, June 21, 2022 | Phillips

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  • “In this ever-changing world, things and individuals are scattered, yet remain unknowingly connected, shaping the world as it exists today. People exist in the past and present, the here and now, each forging their own stories. My practice gathers miraculous encounters of humans, my intention being to crystallise them on the canvas based on realities I capture.”
    — Yukimasa Ida

    Composed of a flurry of bold brushstrokes, jewel-toned hues, and rich impasto, Yukimasa Ida’s distinctive oeuvre is a collection of snapshots in time, cinematic in their harmonious melding of realism and abstraction. Delving into the nature of identity and memory, Ida’s canvases are at once enrapturing and romantic— the present work, Cigarette Girl, evokes an unplaceable familiarity and nostalgia, as if it were a film still captured from a vintage Hollywood romance. Born in Japan in 1990, the artist grew up in the idyllic coastal town of Tottori, where childhood memories of resplendent sunsets and majestic landscapes have left an undeniable mark on his corpus, inspiring his vibrant palette.

     

     

    Yukimasa Ida in his studio

     

    Crucial to Ida’s aesthetic is the idea of ‘Ichi-go ichi-e’, the Japanese cultural concept of once-in-a-lifetime moments and treasuring unrepeatable instances. When explaining its influence on his creative process, the artist muses: ‘Everything changes, be it the seasons, people or circumstance so if you can capture this moment of change or save the moment in time it means it will never go away and in Japan, we call this Ichi-go ichi-e. It’s the reason why I grasp my paintbrush because I want to create a work that saves the moment that we have encountered together forever and this solo exhibition is an extension of such thoughts.’ i  A realisation sparked by the passing of his loved ones, Ida laments the transcience of human life and the unstoppable flow of time in his works, yet he simultaneously revels in the joy and beauty of their shared existence— ‘...I also felt that it was beautiful. I was in their life and they were in mine.’ ii

     

    Cigarette Girl was featured in Ida’s first major solo show outside of Asia, hosted by Labassa Woolfe in London in collaboration with Justin Cook Art in 2017.  In 2017, Ida was one of nine artists invited to paint for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, at an event which further earned Ida attention from international collectors. The following year, he was listed in Forbes’ “30 under 30 Japan”, and his works are collected and revered by pop culture icons such as Takashi Murakami and Jay Chou. Ida has enjoyed numerous solo exhibitions, the most recent being Here and Now at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago, in 2021.

     

     

     

    The artist’s process

     

     

    i Yukimasa Ida, quoted in Justin Cook, ‘Yukimasa Ida, bespoke’, The Fall, 5 October 2017, online.

    ii Yukimasa Ida, quoted in Sophie Cobley, ‘Inside the Mind of Yukimasa Ida, The Japanese Artist Collecting Once in a Lifetime Moments’, Phoenix, 2017, online.

    • Provenance

      Private Collection, London (acquired directly from the artist)
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

    • Exhibited

      London, Labassa Woolfe presented by Justin Cook Art, Yukimasa Ida: Bespoke, 6 - 13 October 2017

287

Cigarette Girl

signed, titled and dated 'Y Ida "Cigarette Girl" 2017' on the reverse
oil on canvas
100 x 75 cm. (39 3/8 x 29 1/2 in.)
Painted in August 2017.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
HK$400,000 - 600,000 
€48,400-72,700
$51,300-76,900

Sold for HK$945,000

Contact Specialist

Danielle So
Specialist, Head of Day Sale
+852 2318 2027
danielleso@phillips.com

20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Day Sale

Hong Kong Auction 21 June 2022