Biography
TSUGUMI WADA is a visual artist. He was born and raised in Tokyo, and in 1999 transferred to the Communication Design department at Parsons School of Design in New York. After graduating, he met artist Aaron "SHARP" Goodstone, who was running PROSPER gallery on the Lower East Side, and joined PROSPER gallery.
At first, he did not know who SHARP was, but later realized-through SHARP and the artists he encountered via exhibitions—that they were the very creators of the Hip-Hop culture that had influenced him even before he moved to the United States, including Wild Style, Style Wars, and Subway Art.
As WADA deepened his relationships with these artists, he began producing his own work.
He later established PROSPER TOKYO in Daikanyama, Tokyo, where he organized and curated exhibitions primarily featuring artists who had exhibited in New York, including collaborative projects and exhibitions with artists such as Charlie Ahearn, Chris "DAZE" Ellis, Dr. REVOLT, Ernie Paniccioli, FAFI, Henry Chalfant, John "CRASH" Matos, Lisa Kahane, RAMMELLZEE, SEEN UA, STASH, WEST ONE, and ZEPHYR, among others. Charlie Ahearn's first Tokyo solo photography exhibition of his Wild Style Japan tour of 1983 also took place at the gallery.
WADA subsequently suspended gallery operations and, in 2022, held a solo exhibition at Nepenthes New York. He has also contributed works to Art for Tibet, and is currently focused mainly on his own artistic practice.
Artist Statement
For me, the world is balanced by two or more opposing elements, and my work explores abstract expressions of the contradictions, conflicts, friction, and chaos—both as elements and emotions—that exist between them.
As a teenager, I became aware of Hip-Hop and Punk culture, and was influenced by cultures created by minorities in cities where different ethnic cultures intersected. This experience became the catalyst for my search for my own mode of expression.
I pursue an approach that fuses techniques I have learned into a form of expression. My process involves collecting discarded materials, current and vintage magazines, photography and paint that I apply myself. Because I see each material as a byproduct of its time, reflecting the relationship between society and organizations or individuals.
The aim of my work is to pose questions to viewers, encourage contemplation, and serve as a catalyst for discovering a positive balance.
