Acclaimed illustrator and contemporary artist Yasuto Sasada announced he will hold his first solo exhibition in Osaka in early April. Titled “Yasuto Sasada Exhibition -Makuake,” the event will be held in Osaka from April 2nd to April 4th, 12:00 – 20:00. You can see Sasada’s work showcased in this video:

As you can see, the artist's detailed pieces involved elaborate visual themes and a wide palette of colors. His work seems to borrow from traditional anime placing it within a collage of modern art stylings that tends toward cyberpunk. There is also a taste of neon psychedelica interlining the mix. Personally, it reminds me in some ways of the animation style of Satoshi Kon, especially in his final feature film Paprika.

Regardless, the video heavily features Sasada’s BE@RBRICK amid the artist's elaborate sketches. This same figurine is central to the artist's upcoming exhibition.

The exhibit

Although hailing from Fukuoka, Sasada's contemporary art has garnished attention across Japan as well as internationally. More specifically, the artist is renowned for his illustrating prowess using a 0.33 mm ballpoint pen.

Again, the video above and the artist's YouTube channel do a good job of showcasing his ability. That said, interested viewers can see more on Sasada's socials. For example:

And another of my favorites:

Finally, this piece showcases his abilities with a ballpoint:

The exhibit in April will include representative works of Sasada like the ones above, particularly his "TOHO SHINKI MUSEUM XVision" line, which was created for the 15th anniversary of the museum.

The details

The event will be held at peel, near Yotsubashi station (address: 大阪府大阪市西区南堀江1-14-14-103). The event is free of charge and will feature original artwork by the creator as well as goods for sale.

For die-hard fans of Sasada's work, the event also features a share campaign to win the BE@RBRICK figurine.

Interested parties must attend the event and take photos of the exhibited works. They will be entered to win BE@RBRICK after tweeting their photos on SNS platforms with the hashtags #笹田靖 and #MAKUAKE. Five winners will be chosen during the event.