**The Foundry Art Gallery | Floating ★★★✩✩

This minimalist gallery stands incongruously next to old residential buildings. Perhaps that’s exactly why Tomoaki Ichikawa’s first solo exhibition was unveiled here. Representative of the traditionmeets- modern setting, his works capture a fairytale-like world where past and present playfully combine.

The exhibition’s 20 oil paintings can be divided into two series. The first set consists of replicas of famous paintings from master artists who have inspired Ichikawa. These works have been modified with dull, grayish tones, conveying a stifling sense of antiquity, highlighting the past’s more solemn approach to art.

Objects in the paintings have been repainted in bright colors to appear toy-like while floating in the air. In Ichikawa’s modified version of Jan Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Marriage,” the grave-faced couple about to be married appear to be floating aimlessly upside down, suggesting a desire to escape this somber occasion. The “toys” add a contemporary element, suggesting that art, in contrast to its serious reputation, can be light-hearted and fun.

The second series consists of vibrant Renaissance-style images of animals and celebrities, such as a panda and Picasso. The trick to Ichikawa’s approach is that every painting is like a portrait of royalty, only instead of King Henry, you’ll find a ferret wearing an elaborate crown and sash. Ichikawa regards the Renaissance style of painting as the highest form of art, and incorporates personal objects and people he’s loved or idolized.

Beyond Ichikawa’s beautiful, lavish brush strokes, one element that consistently shines through is his wit–it’s on full display here via his humorous juxtapositions. Laura Coughlin

Details:
When: Through Sat., April 25
Where: Lane 729, Shaanxi Bei Lu 陕西北路729弄
Tel: 6267-0176