WHAT MUSEUM will host Atsushi Suwa Solo Exhibition “You Are Beautiful” from September 11th (Thu), 2025 to March 1st (Sun), 2026. This marks Atsushi Suwa’s first large-scale solo exhibition in three years. Approximately 80 works will be on display, including a new series of still life paintings and portraits. The exhibition will also offer various perspectives on the evolution of his creative activities until now.

Atsushi Suwa is a leading painter of contemporary Japanese realism. Grounded in extensive research, his work captures the subject using his exceptional technical mastery. His research driven works, which depict invisible subjects such as victims of war and characters from mythology and classical literature, have been highly acclaimed in recent years.

This exhibition chronicles the artist’s journey, placing his latest large-scale painting, At the Shore, at its core alongside his significant past works.

According to Suwa, the self-reflection and isolation in his studio triggered by the pandemic and his quiet days caring for his mother until her death—during which he was detached from a world afflicted by war and disaster—gradually deprived him of the desire to portray humans. This exhibition documents how the extraordinary portrait painter overcame this obstacle and rekindled his passion. It also introduces the ongoing contemplation and creativity of Suwa, a self-disciplined pursuer of “seeing and depicting” with his keen eyes and dexterous hand.

[Highlights]
– First large-scale solo exhibition in three years
Approximately 80 pieces will be on display, ranging from representative works to the most recent creations. These include early masterpieces combining nudes and skulls, portraits of deceased individuals commissioned by their families, and a series depicting the artist’s own family. About 30 of the pieces are on view for the first time, including a still-life painting created specifically for this exhibition. Curated by Takenori Miyamoto, the exhibition is divided into five themed rooms that introduce Suwa’s painting journey from different perspectives.

– The latest large-scale piece, At the Shore, breaks new ground beyond still-life and portrait painting
This exhibition’s highlight, At the Shore, is the culmination of the artist’s exploration of still-life painting in his home studio while caring for his family during the pandemic, when he refrained from inviting any models. Suwa says that he “lost the passion to paint people” after the pandemic. This large painting depicts a human-like figure, a bricolage made of found objects from his studio, such as old skeletal specimens, plaster, and exterior wall filler. The bricolaged human-like figure and rough sketches documenting the creative process will also be on display.

– Documentary film of Suwa at work in his studio
A documentary film closely following the production process of At the Shore will be screened. Visitors can enjoy this beautiful film capturing Suwa’s meticulous painting process and his studio filled with various art materials, motifs, and books.

– Story by Kaori Fujino meets painting by Atsushi Suwa
Akutagawa Prize-winning author Kaori Fujino visits Suwa at work in his studio, and writes a short story inspired by his still-life paintings. The story will be printed as a booklet and handed out to visitors. This art-literature collaboration invites visitors to discover what kind of story emerges from his still-life paintings, which he describes as “things that are dead and still.”

– Catalogue featuring new works and the exhibition
An exhibition catalogue detailing the production process of new works will be published during the exhibition period. Featuring commentary by Takenori Miyamoto and the short story by Kaori Fujino, the catalogue will fully capture the magic of Suwa’s art and recreate the exhibition in print.

[Supplementary Short Story, Sayonara]
Coinciding with the exhibition, a booklet of a short story, Sayonara, by fiction writer Kaori Fujino, will be published and given to all visitors. This art-literature collaboration is an attempt to create a story set in the present day, inspired by a realistic pictorial expression integrating classical techniques, which Suwa himself calls a “zombified pictorial style.”

– Profile of Kaori Fujino
Fiction writer. She was awarded the 103rd “Bungakukai Prize for New Writers” for “Iyashii Tori” [The Greedy Bird] (Kawade Bunko) in 2006, the 149th “Akutagawa Prize” for “Tsume to me” [Nails and Eyes] (Shincho Bunko) in 2013, and the 2nd “Frau Bungei Taisho” for “O hanashi shite ko-chan” [Little Miss Tell-Me-a-Story] (Kodansha Bunko) in 2014. Her recent works include “Raise no Kioku” (Kadokawa), “Pieta to Transi” [Pieta and Transi] (Kodansha Bunko), and “Aoki Kirara no Chottoshita Boken” (Kodansha), and more.

[Profile of Atsushi Suwa]
Painter. Born in 1967 in Hokkaido, Japan. He completed the Master’s Program in the Fine Arts Course (Oil Painting) at the Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. In 1994, he stayed in Spain under the Overseas Study Program for Artists of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 1995, he received the First Class Award at the 5th Concurso International de Pintura organized by the Fundacion Barcelo, Spain. Since 2018, he has been a professor in the Oil Painting Department of the Fine Arts Course at the College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. His major exhibitions include “Can’t see anything anyway” (Suwa City Museum of Art, 2011), “Atsushi Suwa HARBIN 1945 WINTER” (Gallery Naruyama, 2016), and “Fire in the Medial Orbito-Frontal Cortex” (Fuchu Art Museum, 2022).