Ai☆Madonna ‘I’m not saying: - Give me money because you feel sorry for me-‘

GR gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition by Tokyo-based artist Ai☆Madonna, titled "I Am Not Saying: -Give Me Money Because You Feel Sorry For Me.-".  In conjunction with the reception the artist will perform a live painting session at the gallery.

The show will feature 25 new paintings, including Ai☆Madonna's signature series Can't Recall Her Face, which presents a striking frontal portrait, Please Give Me Wings♡, a depiction of girls standing together in solidarity, and her most recent Shaped Canvas series. In this innovative series, the figures of girls break free from the constraints of the traditional canvas frame. In addition to these a new limited edition print will be released and merchandise will be sold at the gallery. Through her signature anime-style depictions of young girls, Ai☆Madonna reflects on human relationships, drawing from her personal experiences as an artist.

The opening reception -complemented by the artist live painting performance- will take place on Thursday, October 10th, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with the exhibition running from October 11 through November 9. On October 08 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm Ai☆Madonna  will perform a first live painting session ‘en plain air’ at Washington Square Park. Press members are invited to contact GR gallery to schedule private viewings or interviews with the artist prior to the official opening. 

GR gallery is located at 255 Bowery (between Houston & Stanton), New York, NY 10002 | info@gr-gallery.com | tel: +1 212 473 2900 | Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

With a calm, smiling face and curious yet empty eyes, the recurring figure of the young girl in The Artist work illustrates her complex and stressful teenage experiences. "The theme that runs through all of my works is capturing the cute and beautiful moments in the girls I depict, embedding them into each painting”. Ai☆Madonna exclusively paints girls, as she continues her search for the girlhood she feels she lost—never quite able to capture the image of the girl she longed to be as a child.

At the same time, this vividly colored and energetically brush-stroked figure, embodies the artist's perspective as an adult. The exhibition title is inspired by a famous line from the Japanese drama 'Homeless Child' (家なき子 ) and pays tribute to the freedom of loving what you love, a theme reflected in Ai☆Madonna's work. It is dedicated to all artists, affirming that creativity should never be limited, that artists should never follow orders or become cogs in the economy. Instead, they should pursue their expression without boundaries. The artist also receives messages from the girls in her paintings and captures these moments on canvas. There is something beyond monetary value present in her work. When you engage with her art, let your eyes and heart search for that "something." What is the value of art to you? In recent years, contemporary art has often been treated like a stock certificate—a commodity with color. However, for Ai☆Madonna, the girls in her paintings are beyond financial measure. At times, a true artist must confront the abuse surrounding the art world, as only the artist can truly fight for their own work. Ai☆Madonna's goddess-like young girls fantasies unveil the absurdity of situations that seem to occur endlessly in our lives.

Ai☆Madonna (B.1984, Tokyo), lives and works in Tokyo, studied performing arts and classical music at the Tokyo Metropolitan Senior High School of Fine Arts (2003) and attended Bigakko in Tokyo by working with Makoto AIDA (2004). Ai☆Madonna had her first exhibition at the Mizuma Art Gallery under her real name 'Ai Kato' and began live-drawing performance on the street from 2007, mainly in Akihabara distinct in Tokyo with the artist name of AI☆MADONNA.  After she established her own company "AI☆MADONNA Production," she has been focusing on painting, illustration, 3D artworks and live-drawing performance by representing young girls' images. 

She has extensively exhibited all over the world, Including a solo exhibition at Roppongi Hills art Museum, she has 11 times solo exhibition and multiple group exhibitions in worldwide places including New York, Warszawa, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Singapore, Bangkok, Paris, Shanghai as well as Tokyo. She had her first solo exhibition in NYC in 2023 with GR gallery and participated to 3 art fairs.