© Julian Opie – Walking in New York 1 (2019)

Based in London, artist Julian Opie (1958) first gained the limelight in the 1980s with a series of painted metal sculptures which combined painted imagery with steel shapes. Opie’s later work included portraits and animated walking figures, created in comic book-style, using merely black line drawing and colour, and which eventually became his trademark style. The British artist has used various media, including LED displays and billboards for his work, to seek new forms of expression, and he’s known as a collector of Japanese woodblock prints or ukiyoe and animated cell pictures. After an eleven-year absence, Opie has now returned to Tokyo for an elaborate solo exhibition at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. The show focuses on a new body of work which has never been exhibited before, including paintings, sculptures and a screening of films selected by Opie himself. For die-hard fans, a selection of merchandise has been made available, including items such as T-shirts, tote bags, and an iPhone case, a special collab of the artist with Japanese telcom provider Softnet (on through Sep 23).

Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku (Shinjuku)
Tokyo 163-1403
Telephone: +81 50 55418600
Tue-Thu 11-7
Fri-Sat 11-8
Sun 11-7

© Julian Opie – Telephone (2018), Sam Amelia Jeremy Teresa 1 (2019) and Towers 1 (2018)