Jareh Das on Ulala Imai | In the Gallery | Xavier Hufkens

In this new video, curator and art critic Dr. Jareh Das discusses Ulala Imai's solo exhibition "MEMORY" at the gallery (21 September 2023-4 November 2023).
“There's usually quite a distinct separation between the home and the studio, between being an artist and being part of a family or a mother. But in Ulala's works, all of these worlds collide. There’s a complete collapse and a non-hierarchical way of thinking about these relationships, which is evident in her paintings, in the choice of what she chooses to paint, in the way she works, in the way that home life bleeds into a painting practice.” - Dr. Jareh Das
Ulala Imai (b. 1982, Kanagawa, Japan) Ulala Imai, a third-generation artist in her family, is known for her paintings in which everyday objects are transformed into enigmatic scenes charged with a sense of intimacy. Her use of popular culture iconography, which she depicts across a variety of genres such as-still life, portraiture, landscape, historic and narrative painting-distinguishes her unique body of work. In search of the motifs, Imai turns to her everyday life, which allows “the motifs themselves to be understood as an autobiography.” Always having worked from home, and in close proximity to her father, husband and children, her domestic milieu serves as the primary source of inspiration.
Dr Jareh Das is a researcher, writer, independent curator and (occasional) florist who lives and works between West Africa/the UK. Her interests in (global) modern and contemporary art are cross-disciplinary, although her understanding is filtered through the lens of performance art which informs both her academic and curatorial work.
More on the artist:
www.xavierhufkens.com/artists...
More on the exhibition:
www.xavierhufkens.com/exhibit...