Gajin Fujita received early recognition and critical praise for the two person exhibition Contemporary 9: Gajin Fujita and Pablo Vargas Lugo, curated by Ilona Katzew at LACMA in 2005. Featuring a selection of Fujita’s paintings, Katzew also included a number of drawings by the artist – making this the first time Fujita’s drawings would be seen publicly.

In the exhibition’s brochure, Katzew explained the role of drawings in Fujita’s work and their importance to his practice:

“While Fujita’s paintings are characterized by a dedication to detail and laborious craftsmanship, his drawings – shown for the first time in the exhibition – are more fortuitous. He begins by projecting images onto pieces of paper, which he traces with pencils and markers, invariably altering the source. He then cuts out the images to make stencils, which are used to create the figures in the paintings. The stencils themselves become the preparatory drawings or "blueprints of the originals,” as Fujita describes them), which present random traces of spray paint and imprints of the triangular weights that he uses to hold the stencils on place.“

Click here for more works from the 2005 LACMA exhibition and a review of the show in the LA Times by Christopher Miles.

An exhibition of Fujita’s drawings is currently on view at L.A. Louver through April 26, 2014.

Join us for a lively conversation with Gajin Fujita and Ilona Katzew at L.A. Louver on Thursday, April 17.

IMAGE: Gajin Fujita, Study of Samurai, Shoreline Duel (2), 2005, spraypaint, marker and pencil on paper, 59 x 45 ½ in. (149.9 x 115.6 cm), Private collection.