Sho Shibuya
SUNRISE FROM A SMALL WINDOW series, 2020-present, Acrylic, 55.9×30.5 cm. Courtesy the Artist
EVENT series, 2020-present, Acrylic, 55.9×30.5 cm. Courtesy the Artist
Thirty-six beautifully colored copies of The New York Times hang in orderly rows. On one wall, news of shootings, wars, and disasters compresses into color fields; on the opposite wall, that same morning's sky unfolds. Shibuya began this daily ritual in early 2020 during the pandemic's onset: meditating on a Brooklyn rooftop while observing the sky, then rendering both headline news and sky onto newspaper. Viewers flip hinged frames, alternating between painted surfaces and original newspapers, witnessing human turmoil and cosmic tranquility coexisting within the same 24 hours. The unchanging sunrise amid chaotic reality demonstrates the consoling power of sustained daily ritual through suffering. Japanese artist Shō Shibuya, based in Brooklyn, transforms meditation and daily routine into art, offering methods to find peace within modern society's noise.
