Our friends from Nanzuka in Tokyo are preparing the first solo presentation in Japan by Joyce Pensato entitled The No Pants Fizz Show. On view from April 20th through May 25th, this exhibition will include five paintings on canvas done with enamel paint, a variety of large and small drawings in charcoal and pastels, as well as a bronze sculptural edition from her recent series with Case Studyo.

Over the years, the Brooklyn born and raised artist has become internationally renowned for large-scale paintings of familiar American cartoon characters such as Homer Simpson, Batman, Donald Duck, or Mickey Mouse. Working in big format with liquid yet intense enamel paint on linen or charcoal and pastel on paper, she paints her subjects using fast, dynamic, and loose gestures. This approach results in vigorous imagery constructed from layered marks and/or erased strokes, ghostly representation of otherwise playful icons, sometimes described as "abstracted expressions of Pop Art". With popular culture characters as the main motif and the energetic elements of action painting as her process, Pensato's work "seems to raise questions regarding our perception of and engagement with popular American culture."––Sasha Bogojev