New Work

This body of Drawings and paintings will explore the influence of two different cultures, in new work by les Sasaki. It examines his interest in Japonisme/Japonaiserie and at the same time his everyday perceptions as a third generation Japanese-Canadian. The underpinning of the work being that, in Joy Kogowa’s words, Japanese-Canadians are “visually bilingual.” In a series of drawings and paintings Leslie Sasaki examines ensembles of familiar things seen from street level: that is from the eye level of a squatting figure. The squat in this case suggests dualities of rest/work and prayer/connection to the earth. Implicit in this exploration is reference to Sasaki’s Japanese-Canadian background. Central to these works is a resonant emotional tone that contributes to the viewer’s pleasure.