One of Gajin Fujita’s most ambitious works to date has been acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and now resides in their permanent collection. Titled Southland Standoff, the painting depicts a territorial battle among samurais, their armor adorned with the Southern California phone area codes “213″ (Los Angeles County) and “714″ (Orange County) as ornamental motifs.

The museum is exhibiting the painting amongst their collection of Japanese antiquities, including samurai armor, swords and wood block prints. This pairing of a contemporary work with objects from the past is part of their ongoing exhibition series Conversations through the Asian Collections, an initiative to foster dialogue between the old and the new.

Although Southland Standoff is currently on view in Australia, the work will travel back to Los Angeles for its inclusion in Fujita’s upcoming L.A. Louver exhibition Warriors, Ghosts and Ancient Gods of the Pacific – opening this May 2015. Stay tuned for more details and a new film on the artist that will premiere in conjunction with the exhibition. In the meantime, check out this short trailer for the forthcoming film.