A new series by Yuya Hashizume makes its debut at PBG the Hyundai. Based on his signature eyewater motif, the exhibition presents newly created paintings and three new print editions, shown exclusively in Korea.
Hashizume, a successor to the legacy of Japanese Neo-Pop, first gained widespread attention in 2017 with his eyewater series—portraits set against monochromatic backgrounds, each depicting a single tear poised to fall. Having exhibited in Tokyo, Shanghai, Macau, and Seoul, he has built a strong following across Asia. With his new edition launch and exhibition 《ew+82》 at PBG The Hyundai Seoul, Hashizume returns to Seoul once again.
The new works overlap his past and present perspectives to create fresh outcomes. By introducing motifs of baby animals to his signature character, Hashizume broadens the emotional texture of his imagery. Through these new editions and original works launching for the first time in Korea, he visualizes the theme of “updating the past.”
Growing up during Japan’s economic heyday—an era fascinated by manga and video games such as Doraemon—Hashizume recalls a sudden awareness of the absence of originality. Even something unique, he realized, can quickly dissipate and transform under the influence of social trends. His work embraces this phenomenon, using reproducible images, emotions, and the aesthetics of Japanese animation to probe the gap between fiction and reality.
Hashizume, a successor to the legacy of Japanese Neo-Pop, first gained widespread attention in 2017 with his eyewater series—portraits set against monochromatic backgrounds, each depicting a single tear poised to fall. Having exhibited in Tokyo, Shanghai, Macau, and Seoul, he has built a strong following across Asia. With his new edition launch and exhibition 《ew+82》 at PBG The Hyundai Seoul, Hashizume returns to Seoul once again.
The new works overlap his past and present perspectives to create fresh outcomes. By introducing motifs of baby animals to his signature character, Hashizume broadens the emotional texture of his imagery. Through these new editions and original works launching for the first time in Korea, he visualizes the theme of “updating the past.”
Growing up during Japan’s economic heyday—an era fascinated by manga and video games such as Doraemon—Hashizume recalls a sudden awareness of the absence of originality. Even something unique, he realized, can quickly dissipate and transform under the influence of social trends. His work embraces this phenomenon, using reproducible images, emotions, and the aesthetics of Japanese animation to probe the gap between fiction and reality.
