Tokyo based artist Mhak (aka Masahiro Akutagawa) recently came to Portland, Oregon to exhibit his artwork and participate in a public mural project. He ended up painting a mural for Grove, at the end of which he graciously granted us an interview.
His show was at the Hellion Gallery, run by Matt Wagner. The Hellion Gallery specializes in international artists, and exporting Portland artists to France and Japan. Recently, Matt curated and helped to organize a city wide mural project called Forest for the Trees, in which Mhak participated.
As part of the project, there was a mural painted by Brazilian artist Marcelo Macedo on the outside of Grove’s building. After completing his mural down the street from us, Mhak also spent a few days painting a beautiful, twisting mural in our production shop, completely transforming the feel of the entire space!
Check out:
1. Forest for the Trees - Video
2. Video Featuring Mhak Working!
Mhak hails from Fukushima prefecture, and now lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. These days, he’s been painting on the road a lot, traveling around the world to places like Buenos Aires, Milan, New York City, Copenhagen and more!
He’s a night owl whose favorite place to work is inside someone’s house in their living room. He responds to the environment, the decor, furniture, and the room’s color palette to create a mural that accentuates the feel of the space.
When working on his mural at the Hellion Gallery for his show, Mhak stayed up all night to complete his installation! His show at the Hellion Gallery is up until the end of the month- hope you can check it out!
For all of you high rollers with deep pockets and good taste in art, don’t hesitate to dig deep and fly Mhak out to your Villa for a fresh new mural in your living room!
Thanks, Mhak!