Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day. It is the perfect time to give your lover a hug and a kiss. To celebrate love in all its forms this February, Phillips presents a representative work by Japanese artist Tomoo Gokita, Embrace, a black and white painting of lovers enfolded in an eternal kiss.

Tomoo Gokita, Embrace

Preview of Tomoo Gokita, Embrace at Phillips Hong Kong

Preview of Tomoo Gokita, Embrace at Phillips Hong Kong

Preview of Tomoo Gokita, Embrace at Phillips Hong Kong

Preview of Tomoo Gokita, Embrace at Phillips Hong Kong

Tomoo Gokita (b. 1969) is a Tokyo-based artist who began as a graphic designer in the late 1990s. He received acclaim for drawings made with charcoal and ink on paper. In 2005, he turned to produce abstract paintings alongside figurative works made in black and white. Gokita’s signature black and white paintings draw upon an assortment of distinctive, kitschy pop-culture motifs.

Tomoo Gokita (b. 1969) is one of the most sought after contemporary Japanese artists on the market and remains popular at auctions.

Gokita is one of the most sought after contemporary Japanese artists on the market and remains popular at auctions. In 2016, Gokita teamed up with the clothing brand Stüssy for a Capsule Collection. He created five original pieces for tees and a woven poplin shirt for the collaboration.

Original pieces that Gokita created for his collaboration with Stüssy

In the same year, Divorce by Gokita was offered at Sotheby’s 2016 Hong Kong sale #TTTOP, an art evening sale guest-curated by Asian pop icon T.O.P. It was sold for HK$875,000, more than double its estimate of HK$380,000-450,000.

T.O.P in front of Gokita’s Divorce

Phillips currently holds the top three prices for the artist at auction, including his new record set last fall. His 2015 painting Club Mature was sold at Phillips New York for US$807,000, against its estimate of US$250,000-350,000.

Club Mature (2015) currently holds the auction record for Gokita

In the present painting, Embrace, Gokita tantalises the viewer with an emotional tension somewhere between the pull of the familiar and the lure of the otherworldly. The embracing figures draw upon the enduring artist motif of lovers enfolded in an eternal kiss.

Isaure de Viel Castel, Head of 20th century and Contemporary Art Department

Please stay tuned for our interview with Isaure de Viel Castel, Head of 20th century and Contemporary Art Department. She will shed light on this painting, which will be offered at Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong on 26 May. It is expected to fetch between HK$2.2m and 3.2m (US$282,000-410,000).