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Okokume

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Okokume
Okokume in her studio
Born
Laura Mas

(1985-07-27) July 27, 1985 (age 39)
Mataró, Barcelona, Spain
EducationEscola de la Llotja
Known forHer character "Cosmic Girl"

Laura Mas Hernandez is a Spanish contemporary artist, known professionally as Okokume.[1] She is recognized for her character Cosmic Girl, which features in many of her works.

Life and career

Academic background and early career

Okokume was born in 1985 and raised in Mataró, Barcelona.[1] In 2010, she earned a degree in Advertising Graphic Design from Llotja School of Art and Design.

In her early works, Okokume approached her figurative paintings under the influence of Impressionism. She painted women dressed in kimonos and other Japanese accessories such as oil-paper umbrellas (Wasaga). Her early portraits show her enigmatic style, most notably distorted women's faces with holes, some with pink hair, and turquoise faces with a darker apocalyptic undertone.

The artworks of this period were met with international success, exhibited in galleries such as Barcelona, Berlin, and Los Angeles in group exhibitions.

Lowbrow and Cosmic Girl

Okokume gradually started to work in a Lowbrow style coupled with contemporary street styles, reflecting her passion for Japanese manga. After the internal dialogue, personal growth, and frustration with the planet's problems, she needed to develop her support mechanism, creating a messenger character who would reach out to all audiences. Cosmic Girl, a pink-haired, turquoise-skinned spirit, conveys the importance of protecting the environment and brings attention to various social causes.

The colorful and cheerful shades of Cosmic Girl and her universe gained international attention, which contributed to the artist's success in the art market after her debut exhibition, Cosmic World in Hong Kong, in 2017. Her popularity in Asia continued to grow in 2018 when Okokume's works were presented together with JPS Gallery and K11. In 2020, she presented her first bronze sculpture at JPS Gallery Hong Kong.

Cosmic Girl Café

In August 2019, Okokume opened Cosmic Girl Café, a collaborative project with artist Kasing Lung, in Harajuku, Tokyo.[2] The opening of the café was held concurrently with the two artists’ collaborative exhibition, The Monsters, and the Cosmic Stars, in JPS Gallery Tokyo.[3]

Personal life

Okokume is an enthusiast of comics and Japanese popular culture and a follower of the Ghibli universe. The artist cites influence from Katsuhiro Ōtomo's Akira, which she first saw at the age of eight. Since 2018, Okokume has been actively collaborating with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She participated in numerous charity exhibitions and auctions, with profits donated to the foundation.[4]

Collaborations

In 2022, Okokume collaborated with Hypebeans, the prestigious coffee shop with outlets in New York, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. The vibrant colors of Cosmic Girl's soul, the artist's most popular character, spread throughout the establishment through painting on tables and walls. She also presented graphic material that was used for the design of glasses, walls and T-shirts. An original painting, painted exclusively for this collaboration, was on view in the store.

Due to this great success, Hypebeans decided to take Cosmic Girl to the streets of Hong Kong with its Food Truck company.

In January 2023, the artist launched two successful collaborations. The first one was with the world-renowned mobile case and accessory brand Casetify. Under the name "Our feelings[5]" Okokume presented a capsule collection featuring cell phone cases, airpod cases, chargers, ipad cases and airtags with various designs of the artist's paintings. It is also possible to buy an exquisite Premium box, with 5 cell phone cases that together make up a symbolic painting.

In addition, on January 24th Avant Arte (a popular community of artists who support the new generation of artists), launched a limited edition piece of 50 units, "Sumergidos".[6] This is a silkscreen of 12 color screens, hand finished by the artist with acrylic paint and diamond dust, which was sold out in less than two hours.

Books

  • "The arrival of Cosmic Girl" (La llegada de Cosmic Girl), 2018.[7]

Selected exhibitions

  • 2023
    • Art Central, Hong Kong. (Fair)[8]
    • Origen, JPS Gallery Paris.[9]
    • UVNT Art Fair, Madrid. (Fair)[10]
    • Fronteras, L21 Gallery, Barcelona.[11]
    • Art021, Shanghai. (Fair)[12]
  • 2022
    • Art Central, Hong Kong. (Fair) [13]
    • Bon Jour Paris, Paris, France. (Group Exhibition) [14]
    • Utopia, JPS Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.[15]
    • Bespoke x Okokume, Landmark Atrium, Hong Kong [16]
  • 2021
    • Reality, JPS Area 36, Tokyo, Japan[17]
    • Inside, JPS Gallery, Hong Kong[18]
  • 2018
    • The Arrival of Cosmic Girl, JPS Gallery, K11 Art Space, Hong Kong[19]
  • 2017
    • Cosmic World, JPS Gallery, Hong Kong[20]
  • 2015
    • Ikimono, Open Walls Gallery, Berlin, Germany
  • 2013
    • Okokume, Mar de Cava Gallery, Barcelona, Spain

Selected articles

References

  1. ^ a b "ABOUT". okokume (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  2. ^ KaSing Lung & Okokume, Okokume. "Labubu x Cosmic Girl". JPS Gallery. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. ^ KaSing Lung & Okokume, Okokume. "The Monsters And The Cosmic Stars". JPS Gallery. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  4. ^ JPS Gallery, Okokume. "Make A Wish Charity Group Show". jpsgallery. October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  5. ^ ""Our Feelings" OKOKUME x CASETiFY". StreetArtNews. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  6. ^ "Okokume - Collaborations with Avant Arte". avantarte.com. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  7. ^ JPS, Okokume. "The Arrival of Cosmic Girl". jpsgallery. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Art Central 2023 - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  9. ^ "Origen - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  10. ^ "UVNT Art Fair 2023 - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  11. ^ "Fronteras x L21 Gallery - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  12. ^ "Art021 - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  13. ^ "Art Central 2022 - JPS Gallery". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  14. ^ "JPS | Exhibition". www.jpsgallery.com. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  15. ^ "JPS | Exhibition". www.jpsgallery.com. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  16. ^ "JPS | Exhibition". www.jpsgallery.com. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  17. ^ JPS, Okokume (May 1, 2021). "Reality". jpsgallery. May 1, 2021. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  18. ^ JPS, Okokume (January 18, 2021). "Inside". jpsgallery. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  19. ^ JPS, Okokume (June 8, 2018). "The Arrival of Cosmic Girl". Jpsgallery. June 8, 2018. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  20. ^ JPS ART, Okokume (June 30, 2017). "The art of Lau Mas". jpsgallery. JUNE 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  21. ^ Okokume, Okokume (June 8, 2018). "The Arrival of Cosmic Girl". harpersbazaar. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  22. ^ Hypebeast, Okokume (June 11, 2018). "Arrival of Cosmic Girl". hypebeast. June 11, 2018. Archived from the original on June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  23. ^ Diari Ara, Okokume (May 8, 2021). "Pintora anònima a Catalunya artista rècord al Japó". Ara. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  24. ^ Origen y evolución, Okokume (August 5, 2021). "Okokume y Cosmic Girl". Ecosdeasia. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  25. ^ Yorokobu, Okokume (January 25, 2022). "Okokume, la pintora catalana desconocida en España y que arrasa en Japón". Yorokobu. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  26. ^ Kong, Trendystyle Hong (2022-01-16). "BESPOKE x OKOKUME". TRENDYSTYLE HONG KONG. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  27. ^ Corral, Pedro del (2022-04-15). "Desconocida en España, ídolo de masas en Japón: Laura Mas arrasa con su 'mesías' rosa y turquesa". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-25.
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