EUGENE–An exhibition of paintings by a preeminent Japanese artist that provide fascinating commentary on our contemporary world as we approach the 21st century will open on Sunday, March 28, at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane.

"Web of Confession: Paintings by Masami Teraoka" will continue through May 9. The exhibit, organized by Pamela Auchincloss Project Space and Arts Management Services in New York, includes 21 paintings, primarily watercolor on paper, that survey the artist’s work from 1992 to the present.

A preview of the exhibition will be available during an opening reception from 5:30—7:30 p.m. on March 27 at the museum.

Teraoka and his partner Lynda Hess will give a lecture, co-sponsored by the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts, at 5 p.m. on April 16 in Room 138 of Gilbert Hall, 955 E. 13th Ave. on the UO campus. A reception for the artist will follow from 6:30—8:30 p.m. at the Museum of Art.

For more than 25 years, Teraoka created humorous and irreverent commentaries on contemporary culture. Following a trip to Europe in the early 1990s, his work evolved quite radically, taking a darker turn. The gothic paintings of Northern Europe and the religious paintings of 15th- and 16th-century Italy brought the curtain down on the wit and humor of Teraoka’s previous work.

No longer reliant on the format of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints as the stepping stone for his commentaries on the culture clashes of East and West, Teraoka produced images that had a sharper edge to them. The subjects of his works combine contemporary violence (the Gulf War and Bosnia), loathing of AIDS, and the alienation of a computer-oriented society.

"The social and cultural dramas of today’s society motivate me to create paintings," Masami writes. "My earlier work focused on my life experiences in America and Japan. More recently I have been inspired to create paintings based on worldwide issues such as religion, sexuality, nudity, erotica, media, privacy, confession, politics, gender, AIDS, race, violence, war and environmental issues, among other things. My paintings are sometimes humorous or lighthearted and other times very intense. The saving grace is aesthetic concern–beauty transcends the issues."

The following schedule of Wednesday MusEvenings!, all free to the public, offer educational programs on related topics at 6 p.m. each week at the Museum of Art:

• March 31: Gallery talk by Cynthea Bogel, UO assistant professor of art history.

• April 7: Talk on "Gender and Identity in Contemporary Asian Art" by Kate Bonansinga, Willamette Week visual arts critic.

• April 14: Gallery talk on "Japanimation" and teen docent-led tours.

• April 21: Talk on "Embodied Culture" by Joe Fracchia, associate professor in the university’s Robert D. Clark Honors College.

The UO Museum of Art, accessible to people with disabilities, is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesdays when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5—8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For a sneak peek at the Teraoka exhibition or for more museum information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu/ or call (541) 346-3027.

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