Paintings and drawings in True Colors harken back to the social and political climate of the past three years.
Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita), 2023 by Gajin Fujita (silver leaf, palladium leaf, 23.75K gold leaf, spray paint, Sakura streak marker, and paint markers on three wood panels, 72 by 60 inches). Photo courtesy L.A. Louver.
Gajin Fujita, ’97 BFA Fine Arts
In its essence, Forget Me Not (Chitose Fujita) is a lamentation of times gone by. On the right of Chitose Fujita is a palm tree with lush green fronds, and on her left is a lamp post made in the style of the old Los Angeles fixtures that the artist saw growing up on the east side of the city. Chitose Fujita stands prominently in the foreground holding a beautiful yellow hibiscus flower, her favorite, with the setting sun dramatically illuminating the skyline of downtown L.A. This view is depicted from the perspective of the artist’s childhood home in Boyle Heights.
The setting sun, flying elephants, and green ribbon on Chitose Fujita’s shirt allude to her current fight against Alzheimer’s disease.” —from the catalog Gajin Fujita: True Colors
Fujita’s exhibition at L.A. Louver, True Colors, on view through May 6, 2023, is his most personal and political work to date. Most of the paintings were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 6, 2023 Fujita toured True Colors with Otis College students, staff, and faculty. It is his sixth solo exhibition at L.A. Louver, which has represented him for over two decades. His work is in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, LACMA, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. More information about Fujita and the show can be found on the L.A. Louver website.
