About the Exhibition

Jennifer Lauren Gallery made their debut at the Outsider Art Fair in New York in January 2018. The Gallery brought along five artists’ works including the Japanese artists Shinichi Sawada, Masao Obata, Makoto Takezawa and Shinya Fujii, as well as UK artist Chris Neate.

Below is a brief introduction to each artist but more detail can be found on their artist page, linked through their name.

Born in 1982, Shinichi Sawada started attending Shiga Prefecture (a local social welfare facility for persons with intellectual disabilities) three or four times a week from around the year 2000. At this time, he began creating his ceramic art works at a kiln-equipped pottery workshop in the local mountains. He has created around fifteen different motifs that change slightly each time he makes them.

Masao Obata (1943-2010) only started drawing in his residential care facility (Hyogo Prefecture) in Japan after the age of sixty. His strong urge to create led him to source pieces of large cardboard to draw on from the kitchens in his facility, as the paper was too small. Obata often drew in red as for him this was the colour of happiness.

Born in 1969, Shinya Fujii became interested in art whilst a high school student following reading a magazine article, after which he won a prize for his entry into a comic book design competition. Fujii returned to drawing in 2007 when his father died and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Makoto Takezawa (1970 - 2010) lived in Hokkaido, Japan in a facility for those with intellectual disabilities from 1988. With only a mild intellectual disability he managed to graduate from Junior High School, and it was here, through his art education classes, that he learnt about woodcut techniques.

Chris Neate (b.1954) has been developing his style of drawing since his late teens. During the 1970s he attended Art College in Leeds but never completed a foundation course nor did he feel he was given any formal training. During his time working as a hospital social worker with older people Neate sporadically drew, and this need to draw has intensified over the years. Neate practices automatic drawing and turns the piece as he draws.

About the Exhibition

Jennifer Lauren Gallery was delighted to present its first show and the first solo show for the late Masao Obata. After featuring in the successful Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan at the Wellcome Collection in 2013, Obata’s work has rarely been seen in Japan or overseas. This exhibition brought together a collection of 15 works, which were seen alongside a film from 21-25 June 2017 in London. 

Obata (b. 1943) moved around many institutions before settling at Hyogo Prefecture where he began to draw in his 60’s. His strong urge to create led him to source large cardboard pieces to draw on from the kitchens in his facility as he felt the paper was too flimsy. He produced thousands of drawings before his passing in 2010, but many were disposed of by the facility who, in the beginning, had not recognised the artistic value of his work.

Obata said, “I am happiest when I am working and by working, I mean drawing.” Claiming he was shy, Obata rarely left the institution, not even venturing into the grounds.

Often creating in red pencil, Obata stated that for him this was the colour of happiness and fulfilment. The major themes in Obata’s work include family and marriage, both of which eluded Obata during his lifetime. He did on occasion say that the works featuring a man, a woman and a child were himself and his parents, and that he missed them profusely. His drawings also featured a characteristic attention to detail when depicting genitalia in his representations of humans. Other themes included things he observed: vehicles, landscapes and plants.

Masao Obata’s work has been seen in several international exhibitions including in Switzerland, Paris and the Netherlands.

Jennifer Gilbert said: “After seeing Obata’s work behind the scenes before being featured in the Japon exhibition at the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne in 2008, I have been interested in this artists work. Seeing him working in a film during the Wellcome Collection exhibition in 2013 further cemented my enjoyment of his work, especially his fascination with drawing and dressing head-to-toe in red, and the fact he often fell asleep whilst drawing.”