Boat and Waves 1, 2023

Oscar Oiwa's nomadic nature has provided countless residences with various world cities such as Sao Paulo, Japan, New York and London where in each city Oiwa is the quiet observer of crossed cultures, language and globalization. His interpretations of his astutely observed surroundings are manifested on canvases and are interjected with peripheral formal artistic studies such as opera, music and literature. Using fine brushstrokes, Oiwa approaches his canvases like a miniaturist, providing endless details for the viewer to piece together a contextual narrative. The resulting images of Oiwa are spectacularly detailed and retain an element of enchantment, as demonstrated in this work.
Boat and Waves 1 portrays a boat drifting in a dark ocean under a canopy of shining stars, with the calm surface of the water reflecting the clouds in the sky. The boundary between the sky and the ocean becomes blurry, as if the clouds seamlessly transform into waves. Oiwa's composition showcases his playful mastery of perspective and light, as well as his enchanting surrealist touch.