Hiroshi Wada’s black and white Japanese ink drawings on rice paper are a vibrant union between the familiar and enigmatic, and an intriguing divergence between the past and present. Reminiscent of “shodo,” traditional Japanese calligraphy, Wada’s artwork respectfully breaks the time barrier of this ancient art with modern zeal. Artwork by 20th-century action painter and calligrapher Yuichi Inoue, fifteen years of study with contemporary calligrapher Ryosetsu Imai, and the artist’s early track and field training informed his practice and process. Wada is scripting his own creative and communicative path with powerful speed, leaping with confidence into the current post-modern era.

Wada’s imagery leaves the written language of his ancestry and catapults into fluid brushstrokes and assertive mark making of abstracted form. In his Kyoto, Japan studio, the artist’s hand sweeps across the substrate, branding expressionist shapes that seem to dance in the shadows of nature, architecture and humanity. Wada, ignited by a clear vision, aims to illuminate the oneness in the physical world and engender a conversation about the spirit of global peace.