Atsushi Suwa, You are Beautiful

You are Beautiful is a volume that presents the entire scope of a five-part solo exhibition by the Japanese realist painter Atsushi Suwa.

The book begins with fragile, easily perishable subjects such as flowers, fruit and tofu. 'Portraying Loss' is centred on Suwa’s portraits of the dead. 'Repose' brings together depictions of Suwa’s own family. 'The Silent Voices' features fourteen new still life works, while 'At the Shore' comprises a grouping of paintings, figurative sculptures and drawings. You are Beautiful also includes installation views and a short story by Kaori Fujino composed as an homage to Suwa’s work – elements that reveal the essence of Suwa, whose research-based approach to painting has been lauded both in Japan and internationally.

The Covid-19 pandemic isolated Suwa inside his studio which – coupled with caring for his elderly mother – moved him into an introspective phase that gradually demotivated his desire to depict the human figure. The book is a chronicle of the process by which he overcame this block and returned himself to that work. It is a record of ongoing inquiry and creativity in an artist whose precise eye and hand co-ordination drive him to rigorously interrogate the acts of seeing and painting.

Seigensha, 288pp, 21cm x 30cm, illustrated hardcover, 2026