Asuka Anastacia Ogawa
Art handed down through generations
“When I paint, I am always thinking about my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and our ancestors’ beauty, strength, struggles, love.”
If there’s a unifying theme in Asuka Anastacia Ogawa’s paintings, it’s the artist herself. She says “I welcome unfiltered inspiration that isn’t always understood or in need of being fully understood.” Motifs arise organically across her paintings of dark-skinned, almond-eyed children at play. She paints a world free of social division – her figures are androgynous and mingle freely with animals. The candy-coloured palette and rounded figures invoke softness and comfort – even in a crocodile’s grin.
Ogawa’s paintings have been compared to naïve art – a term that usually describes artists that d...
If there’s a unifying theme in Asuka Anastacia Ogawa’s paintings, it’s the artist herself. She says “I welcome unfiltered inspiration that isn’t always understood or in need of being fully understood.” Motifs arise organically across her paintings of dark-skinned, almond-eyed children at play. She paints a world free of social division – her figures are androgynous and mingle freely with animals. The candy-coloured palette and rounded figures invoke softness and comfort – even in a crocodile’s grin.
Ogawa’s paintings have been compared to naïve art – a term that usually describes artists that don’t have any formal art education. Ogawa, however, completed her BFA at Central St Martin’s in London. She’s earned this description because of her unpretentious style inspired by folklore. Paintings like Baby Bells (2019) and Cramps (2020) infuse mythical elements into everyday scenes, like halos and cherubs. It’s clear that Ogawa does not look to the western tradition for inspiration. Instead, she draws on a long, rich history passed down to her through generations.
Asuka Anastacia Ogawa was born in Tokyo, 1988. She lives and works in Los Angeles.
Ogawa is a true citizen of the world. She was born in Tokyo and moved to Brazil at the age of three. She attended high school in Sweden, and then art school in London.
