Carl Randall has been studying at the oil painting department of the Tokyo University of the Arts since 2006 with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Inspired by the crowds in Tokyo, Randall has painted the faces of a wide variety of people in an effort to visualize issues closely related to today's society. Various elements are aggregated on each face, which in turn acts to shed light on urban problems such as superabundant population. At first glance, a group of faces seems to exist as a sole organic body. If one takes a closer look, each face's unique characteristics start to reveal themselves. Blocked by an invisible wall created by the rows of faces, and forced to stand outside of the wall, the viewer feels a sense of fear toward an unpredictable mental state of the group and its collective consciousness. The painter captures people's psychological states that never intersect with each other despite the fact that they share the same space, while also demonstrating boundariesand isolation inherent in urban living. By tackling energies given off from the faces and attempting to integrate and at the same time fractionate them, Randall continues to bring forth images that are the vernacular of the place he is based in. In addition to a series of oil paintings, ink paintings executed on washi paper will be on view also.

* The text provided by BUNKYO ART.