Susumu Sakaguchi and Ross Bruckner were the first people to complete the graduate painting course at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). That year - 1973 - U.S. forces withdrew from Vietnam, and two years later the country was unified. Both Bruckner and Sakaguchi used the wars that were raging in various parts of the world at that time to explore in depth the psychological world, and their 'new painting' resonated with many Americans. Meanwhile, CalArts played host to a group of artists led by David Salle as neo-expressionism gained momentum across the world. Current trends in contemporary art are clearly connected to this movement, which was a reaction against conceptual art and minimalism. The succeeding years saw artists at the core of new painting adopt Asia as the location for their new work, which, influenced by Eastern spirituality among other things, suddenly began to show sings of diversity. The 1995 Whitney biennial took the restitution of 'Beauty' and 'Sensitivity' as its theme, encouraging painters to pursue beauty in their work and to avoid the lure of 'easy' installations. It was in this environment that Susumu Sakaguchi assumed a position at the forefront of contemporary art.

Art cuts through time and is born of societal necessity. Contemporary painting, with its beginnings in the U.S., opened new paths while firmly rooting itself in American society. Works that do not reflect the artist's experience of movements in society are not appealing. There is no future for a piece that simply collects information and chases trends. 'Splash' and 'Abstraction and Representation Dual Painting' are well-known examples of Susumu Sakaguchi's work. However, neither of these paintings is concerned with trends and neither was devised as a means of attracting attention. Sakaguchi moved to the U.S. when he was 12 years old. His work is the natural result of the soul-searching he did while torn between his homes in Japan and the U.S., and of his struggle to survive, both as an artist and as an Asian person. It is not an overstatement to say that his gift is, if not God-given, then universe-given. Sakaguchi currently goes back and forth between his atelier in Hawaii and New York. As a result, the surface transparency of his representational paintings has started to increase, making the works' connection to 'Splash' all the more apparent. This is his third solo exhibition since seeking a new departure in Tokyo, and I hope that viewers will recognize in their hearts the works' strong connection with the universe.