Arcadia Exhibitions unveiled “Hiro Sakaguchi: Landscapes of a Restless Mind” in the Spruance Gallery with a faculty and staff preview and an opening reception on Sept. 4. Curated by Art Historian Dr. Cynthia H. Veloric, the exhibition includes drawings and paintings spanning the career of Artist Hiro Sakaguchi, who was born in Japan and emigrated to Philadelphia in the 1990s.

Sakaguchi’s work ranges from small, intricate drawings on paper to large, expansive paintings on canvas, blending bold colors and images with a dark, yet playful commentary on his observations of the world around him. This effect played a role in Director of Arcadia Exhibitions Matthew Borgen’s decision to display Sakaguchi’s work.

“One of the reasons why I thought bringing Hiro to Arcadia would be a good idea was because he has a grounding in traditional painting practice, which I think is useful for our students to see,” Borgen said. “He uses those really strong skill sets to create these very fantastical landscapes. And so I think he’s able to talk about some significant issues, like having to deal with climate change or how we imagine the future, in a way that’s very endearing and charming and accessible.”

Kilolo Harmon, administrative coordinator for the Office of Career Education, was interested in learning more about Sakaguchi’s story right after seeing the first two pieces.

“What stood out to me were the two pieces you see when you first enter,” explained Harmon. “Most of his art comes from his memories of immigration and his life here. I think these are really unique, and it’s nice to get an insight into an artist’s vision and how they see the world. In this case, he sees the world through where he’s been and how he got here, and I think it’s awesome that this is a Japanese viewpoint because it takes us somewhere too.”

For Borgen, something that makes Sakaguchi’s work so accessible is the range of images found in the details of each work.

“I’ve had students come in here and recognize a lot of anime references that are happening within the work, and so if they grew up on that material and they’re illustration majors, it’s accessible to them,” he explained. “But at the same time, there are some toys in these images that I grew up with as a 50-year-old man that I harken back to. There’s just this wonderful combination of joy and foreboding, but also skill and accessibility that just felt like a good fit.”

“Hiro Sakaguchi: Landscapes of a Restless Mind” will be on display through Dec. 14, and a gallery talk with both Sakaguchi and Veloric will be held on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.