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TETSUYA ISHIDA

TETSUYA ISHIDA

1973-2005, Japan
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Tetsuya Ishida Biography

Tetsuya Ishida came of age as a painter during Japan’s ‘lost decade’—a time of nationwide economic recession that lasted through the 1990s. In his afflictive paintings, he captured the feelings of hopelessness, claustrophobia, and emotional isolation that burdened him and dominated Japanese society. From his early career until his untimely death in 2005, Ishida provided vivid allegories of the challenges to Japanese life and morale in paintings and graphic works charged with dark Orwellian absurdity.

Ishida was born in 1973 in Yaizu, Japan, and died in 2005 in Tokyo. He graduated in 1996 from Musashino Art University, Tokyo. Solo exhibitions include The person who was not able to fly, Sunpu Museum, Shizuoka, Japan (2006); Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan (2007); Yaizu City Culture Center, Japan (2007); Nerima Art Museum, Tokyo (2008); Note of Tetsuya Ishida, Ashikaga Museum of Art, Japan (2013, travelled to Hiratsuka Museum of Art, Japan; Tonami Art Museum, Japan; and Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan, through 2015); Notes, Evidence of Dreams, Tonami Art Museum, Japan (2014); and Saving the World with a Brushstroke, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (2014).

Courtesy Gagosian

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Spotlights
The subject matter of Ishida's work—the desperation of Japanese society in the 1990's, the isolation of the youth, and the economic stagnation—resonates with Ben Shahn's interest in portraying the social injustices that arises in the post war period.
Tetsuya Ishida's Paintings Voice a Generation's Anxieties
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Current Exhibition at Gagosian

Tetsuya Ishida Gagosian 10 June–31 July 2026 rue de Ponthieu, Paris

Representative Artworks

Tetsuya Ishida, Recalled (1998). Acrylic on board, in 2 parts. Overall: 145.6 x 206 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Martin Wong.
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Tetsuya Ishida, Untitled (1998). Acrylic on canvas, in 2 parts. Overall: 145.6 × 206 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy the artist, Kyuryudo Art Publishing, and Gagosian
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Tetsuya Ishida, Supermarket (1996). Acrylic on board. 103 × 145.6 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Martin Wong.
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Tetsuya Ishida, Refuel Meal (1996). Acrylic on board, in 2 parts. Overall: 145.6 × 206 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy the artist, Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, and Gagosian.
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Tetsuya Ishida, Untitled (2004). Acrylic and oil on canvas. 45.4 × 53 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian.
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Tetsuya Ishida, Gripe (1996). Acrylic on board. 59.4 × 42 cm. © Tetsuya Ishida Estate. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Martin Wong.
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Represented By

Gagosian contemporary art gallery in 980 Madison Avenue New York United States
Gagosian London +9 locations Follow +

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Spotlight Tetsuya Ishida's Paintings Voice a Generation's Anxieties Rory Mitchell Ocula Director Rory Mitchell sits down with Senior Director of Gagosian in Asia Nick Simunovic and curator Cecilia Alemani ahead of the exhibition My Anxious Self in New York.

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