Hiroshi Sato’s Art Against Enshittification
“Insincere ironic detachment is abundant,” the Bay Area artist told Hyperallergic. “What is niche now are sincere depictions of the present.”
In the age of AI, San Francisco-based painter Hiroshi Sato believes that representational figurative painting is the antidote to losing touch with reality. His unique style, a blend of Bay Area Figurative Movement and Edward Hopper-esque compositions, portrays an unsettling and uncanny depiction of modern life, potentially offering a solution to the delusional world we find ourselves in. However, Sato's motivation for this artistic return to reality was not always present.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Sato's artistic practice was devoid of subject matter. It was only during the pandemic that he realized the futility of creating work that seemed insulated from the world around him. When I visited Sato in his cramped Mission District studio, he shared this insight with me. "Before COVID, my practice wasn't about subject matter at all," he explained.
"When the pandemic happened, I realized that you can't just keep making work that appears to be immune from time and what's happening around you."
Written by urgent.news from Hyperallergic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
