Penn State Altoona to exhibit artwork by Yuji Hiratsuka

ALTOONA, Pa. - "Color Intaglio: Fauna, Flora, Figures," a body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Yuji Hiratsuka, will be on display from Sept. 12 through Oct. 25 in the Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Hiratsuka was born in Osaka, Japan. He has a B.S. in art education from Tokyo Gakugei University, an M.A.in printmaking from New Mexico State University, and an M.F.A. from Indiana University. He served as a professor of printmaking at Oregon State and taught studio art courses from 1992 and until his retirement in 2021. In 2020 he was named as a University Distinguished Professor.

Hiratsuka has received numerous international awards. Since 2010 he has had 13 solo shows in the U.S., Korea, Canada, and Northern Ireland. Some of the public collections that include Hiratsuka's art are The British Museum, Tokyo Central Museum, Panstwowe Museum in Poland, and The House of Humor and Satire in Bulgaria.

Using intaglio printmaking, Hiratuka aims to capture reflections of the human condition with a blend of eastern Japanese traditionalism and contemporary western cultural influences. He states, "The enigmatic figures I draw are reflections of the human conditions that people often find themselves in their daily lives: wryness, satire, whimsy, irony, paradox or mismatch. My figures also employ a state of motion or movement suggesting an actor/actress who narrates a story in a play."

The galleries are open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information, call the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts at 814-949-5452.