Tetsuya Ishida

Tetsuya Ishida's hyper-detailed paintings of isolated figures undergoing bizarre metamorphoses, created during Japan's 1990s recession.

Why go

Ishida's work draws on Social Realism and Surrealism to depict the loss of individual agency in a society organized around work and consumption—his blank-faced protagonists recall Magritte while addressing the psychological toll of Japan's economic collapse and social displacement.

What to expect

Acrylic and canvas paintings ranging from intimate works on paper to large-scale boards (up to 81 × 206 cm), featuring dreamlike scenarios with mechanical and animalistic transformations, displayed across the Paris gallery space.

Things to know

• Artist lived 1973–2005, coming of age during Japan's 'lost decade' of the 1990s.
• First exhibition dedicated to Ishida's work in France.
• Works employ Social Realism, Surrealism, and Japanese popular culture imagery.
• Protagonists often depicted with blank expressions and generic anonymity.
• Major U.S. survey 'My Anxious Self' curated by Cecilia Alemani opened at Gagosian New York in September 2023.
• Paintings address economic displacement, social challenges, and loss of agency in contemporary society.

Plan your visit

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10:30–6:30. Located at 4 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris. Contact +33 1 75 00 05 92 or paris@gagosian.com for inquiries.