GR gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition by Tokyo-based artist Ai☆Madonna, titled "I Am Not Saying: -Give Me Money Because You Feel Sorry For Me.-". In conjunction with the reception the artist will perform a live painting session at the gallery and on October 08 another public performance will take place in Washington Square Park.
The show will feature 25 new paintings, including Ai☆Madonna's signature series Can't Recall Her Face, which presents a striking frontal portrait, Please Give Me Wings♡, a depiction of girls standing together in solidarity, and her most recent Shaped Canvas series. In this innovative series, the figures of girls break free from the constraints of the traditional canvas frame. Through her signature anime-style depictions of young girls, Ai☆Madonna reflects on human relationships, drawing from her personal experiences as an artist.
The opening reception -complemented by the artist live painting performance- will take place on Thursday, October 10th, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with the exhibition running from October 11 through November 9. On October 08 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm Ai☆Madonna will perform a first live painting session ‘en plain air’ at Washinghton Square Park. Press members are invited to contact GR gallery to schedule private viewings or interviews with the artist prior to the official opening.
With a calm, smiling face and curious yet empty eyes, the recurring figure of the young girl in The Artist work illustrates her complex and stressful teenage experiences. "The theme that runs through all of my works is capturing the cute and beautiful moments in the girls I depict, embedding them into each painting”. Ai☆Madonna exclusively paints girls, as she continues her search for the girlhood she feels she lost—never quite able to capture the image of the girl she longed to be as a child.
At the same time, this vividly colored and energetically brush-stroked figure, embodies the artist's perspective as an adult. The exhibition title is inspired by a famous line from the Japanese drama 'Homeless Child' (家なき子 ) and pays tribute to the freedom of loving what you love, a theme reflected in Ai☆Madonna's work. It is dedicated to all artists, affirming that creativity should never be limited, that artists should never follow orders or become cogs in the economy. Instead, they should pursue their expression without boundaries. The artist also receives messages from the girls in her paintings and captures these moments on canvas. There is something beyond monetary value present in her work. When you engage with her art, let your eyes and heart search for that "something." What is the value of art to you? In recent years, contemporary art has often been treated like a stock certificate—a commodity with color. However, for Ai☆Madonna, the girls in her paintings are beyond financial measure. At times, a true artist must confront the abuse surrounding the art world, as only the artist can truly fight for their own work. Ai☆Madonna's goddess-like young girls fantasies unveil the absurdity of situations that seem to occur endlessly in our lives.
