840 Napoleon Avenue (at Magazine Street)
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
(504) 895-6130

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Masahiro Arai

Statement

"When I came back from Japan after Katrina I saw a lot of things thrown away on the sidewalks. Some were disgarded due to water damage but others simply by apartment owners whose tenants were now gone.

I picked up some things (mainly for recycling) and found a tremendous amount of interesting objects. When I thought about my upcoming show I got an idea to paint these abandoned objects.

After Katrina many people thought New Orleans was dead. That is not the case. People have come back to rebuild the city.

All those things that I found were thrown away because someone thought they did not have any use anymore. But I saw beautiful things in those objects. They are not dead just like New Orleans is not dead. We are alive.

I hoped I could show the beauty of those 'throw aways.' It is my way of saying do not give up so easily. You can make this city recreate itself and make it better just like the things I found can be made beautiful again in these paintings."

Honors and Awards

Permanent Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art
Merit Award, Prova Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
Purchase Award, 20th National Print Exhibition, Schenectady, New York

Education

1992 - MFA, University of New Orleans
1988 - AA, Delgado Community College, New Orleans