E'wao Kagoshima
b. 1945, Niigata, Japan
Spell, 1996
Acrylic and oil on canvas, cardboard
Courtesy Asian American Art Centre and Think!Chinatown

Japanese-born multimedia artist E’wao Kagoshima combined pop aesthetics with spiritual symbolism in his paintings. Spell is a diptych: multi-colored abstract forms are juxtaposed with a graphic image of a cow outlined by a heart. The work was part of a series of twelve works titled Etymological Paintings, which he created between 1991 and 1997. Kagoshima began creating art as part of the Japanese Pop Art movement before moving to New York City in 1976. In New York City, Kagoshima became part of the East Village mystic scene, where his graphic work soon adopted abstract elements. Spell reflects a combining of these influences.