Introduction
Since 2020, Sho Shibuya has maintained a daily painting practice that begins each morning at sunrise. Whether at home in New York or traveling abroad, the artist wakes up early to collect the day’s newspaper – often the New York Times or local equivalents – before covering its front page with a representation of the day’s weather. These paintings, created in response to the morning sky, are part of an ongoing visual diary, capturing the fleeting light and mood of each new day.
While many of the works depict glowing, expansive sunrises, Falling From the Sky turns its gaze toward a more contemplative subject: rain. For Shibuya, rainy days offer a particular kind of beauty; as raindrops roll down window panes, or are pushed along them by strong winds, they form delicate ever-changing patterns that give renewed meaning to ideas of ephemerality and idiosyncrasy. These patterns, recorded through photographs and transformed into painted compositions, are at once meditative and spontaneous.
The artist notes that rain often helps anchor our most vivid personal memories – such as the day he met his wife, both of them stepping into a Japanese restaurant during a downpour, umbrellas in hand. For him, rain slows time, invites reflection, and offers moments of intimacy with the world. These paintings aim to preserve that sensation: the shimmer of light transformed through glass and water, and the subtle chromaticism found in grey skies.
Yet beneath the serenity of these paintings lies a quiet tension. The artist notes, “In other parts of the world, the sky is not gentle. It’s not rain that falls, but bombs. The same gray clouds that comfort me here cast shadows of fear elsewhere. Where I see beauty, others see smoke. Destruction. Silence broken not by soft drops, but by blasts. That contrast stays with me. These paintings are not just invitations to pause and reflect, but reminders of what peace looks like. And how fragile it is.”
Falling from the Sky invites viewers to pause and consider what remains long after the clouds have passed.
Selected Works
Sho Shibuya
240213
2024
Acrylic on Paper
Sho Shibuya
240304
2024
Acrylic on Paper
Sho Shibuya
240404
2024
Acrylic on Paper
Sho Shibuya
231225
2023
Acrylic on Paper
Sho Shibuya
231121
2023
Acrylic on Paper
Sho Shibuya
231020
2023
Acrylic on Paper
Collecting
Opening Reception
Private View
Join us for the Private View of Sho Shibuya’s latest solo exhibition, Falling From the Sky.
Thursday 21 August, 6-8pm.
RSVP is essential via the link below.
Biography
Sho Shibuya (b. 1984) is a Japanese artist who has lived in New York City since 2011. The Sunrise from a Small Window series is Shibuya’s most characteristic work, which began as a daily meditation on the contrast between the steady morning sky and the increasingly chaotic news. Taken over time, it creates a visual record of each day, capturing the natural beauty of the sunrise as well as the significant events that punctuate the timeline and still continue daily.
Recent solo exhibitions include 55 SUNRISES, Art Basel Miami x Saint Laurent, Miami, USA (2022). SUNRISE FROM A SMALL WINDOW: A Selection from 2020, Isetan The Space, Tokyo, Japan (2022). Selected group exhibitions include HEADLINES: Mondo Reale, 23rd International Exhibition Triennale, hosted by Fondation Cartier, Milan, Italy (2022); E/Motion. Fashion in Transition, MoMu, Antwerp, Belgium (2021–2022); FIFTY SKY VIEWS OF JAPAN, Tokyo National Museum, hosted by Fondation Cartier, Tokyo, Japan (2024); and YIN AND YANG: We, such fragile, PODO Museum, Korea (2025–2026).
Shibuya’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris, France; the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, New York, USA; and DIB Bangkok Museum, Bangkok, Thailand.
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