MEGUMI OGITA GALLERY is hosting Natee Utarit's first solo exhibition in Japan. We'll release Natee's latest 5 still-life paintings from his "Optimism is Ridiculous" series.

"I’ve never really managed to come up with a completely satisfying explanation for why I’ve become so obsessed with Western paintings from centuries past. When I was working on the series Illustration of the Crisis, I saw these old paintings as merely one method or one kind of pictorial syntax that was particularly well-suited to the complex meanings I was trying to get across. After several more years of study, I eventually discovered that what gave these old works of art their lasting value wasn’t just the result of the artists’ skill or the manner of expression. It was something much harder to explain ? something intangible. It was a feeling that radiated within and around the paintings themselves. I’m tempted to call this special quality “spirit” simply for want of a better word to capture exactly what it is I’m trying to say."