The Gallery at Penn College

Closed November 22 – 26

Human bodies that are simplified, exaggerated, or distorted along with other elements such as fruit, vegetables, plants, and furniture have been the most recent focus of Yuji Hiratsuka. He is interested in expressing human conditions such as mood, feeling, and thought through ambiguous and whimsical figures. Moreover, his figurative images bear a slight resemblance to traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e prints which are frequently flat, bright, and decorative. The figures also express contemporary aspects of the Western Hemisphere. His multi-color intaglio prints are an expression of his native Japanese culture combined with his current life in America.

Yuji Hiratsuka was born in Osaka, Japan. He has a B.S. in Art Education from Tokyo Gakugei University and degrees in printmaking from New Mexico State University (MA) and Indiana University (MFA). He is currently a professor of printmaking at Oregon State University. Since 2010, he has had 13 solo shows in the US, Korea, Canada, and Northern Ireland. His work is in numerous public collections including The British Museum; Tokyo Central Museum; Panstwowe Museum, Poland; The House of Humor and Satire, Bulgaria; Cincinnati Art Museum; Cleveland Art Museum; Portland Art Museum; New York Public Library; The Library of Congress; and The Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art.