<b>ISHISHI - Surrealist Dark Ground Composition: Head Containing a City on Fire - Signed, 2022</b><br>
Signed contemporary work on paper. Surrealist psychedelic head on black ground. Colored pencil and pastel on paper. Unframed.<br><br>
<b>Description</b><br>
The most dramatic and technically ambitious work in the ISHISHI collection. This is the only work in the group executed on a dark charcoal/black ground rather than white paper, and the contrast gives it an entirely different visual impact. A large surrealist ovoid form - part face, part skull, part cosmic egg - glows against the darkness. Within it, two eyes (one open, one closed/blank) and a mustached nose frame the central scene: a cluster of buildings rendered in flames and golden light, viewed through a crystal ball or circular frame. Multiple additional eyes cluster along the right edge of the form. Architectural elements, shell and fan shapes, and organic curves complete the composition. Pink/magenta wisps of flame-like energy edge the left side.<br><br>
The palette of golds, blues, pinks, purples and earth tones against the black ground creates an intensity absent in the white-ground works. Signed "ISHISHI '22" in gold at lower right - one of only a few works in the collection where the date appears on the recto alongside the signature. Verso: "© 2022".<br><br>
This is the standout lot in the ISHISHI collection.<br><br>
<b>Features</b><br>
* Signed lower right in gold: "ISHISHI '22" (year dated on recto)<br>
* DARK GROUND - only work in collection on black/charcoal ground<br>
* Surrealist head/egg containing a burning city in a crystal ball<br>
* Multiple eye motifs within and around the ovoid form<br>
* Rich palette: gold, blue, pink, purple against black ground<br>
* Pink/magenta flame wisps on left edge<br>
* Colored pencil and pastel on paper<br>
* Copyright notation on verso: 2022<br>
* Unframed<br><br>
<b>Condition</b><br>
* Good. Recto clean and vibrant. No significant damage or tears.<br>
* Minor edge wear on verso. Paper surface clean.<br><br>
<b>Specifications</b><br>
Artist: ISHISHI (as signed)<br>
Attribution: Signed and dated original work<br>
Year: 2022 (signed on recto and confirmed on verso)<br>
Medium: Colored pencil and pastel on paper with black/charcoal ground<br>
Subject: Dark ground surrealist head containing burning city<br>
Dimensions: Not confirmed - no scale reference in photos<br>
Frame: Unframed<br>
COA: Not present
582452+31

Location of item: 4-10 Keon Parade, Thomastown, VIC, Australia

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