Pace Prints is pleased to announce the first New York solo exhibition by Japanese artist Yusuke Hanai, titled Perseverance. The exhibition will present new works on paper and be on view from November 14 – December 20, 2025, at 536 West 22nd Street. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 13 from 6-8pm.
Yusuke Hanai is celebrated internationally for his distinct graphic style that reinterprets the aesthetics of 1960’s underground comics and retro-Americana surf culture with a uniquely Japanese sensibility. The artist pulls from unexpected touchpoints across pop culture and his own life experiences to create poignant artworks with a wry sense of humor.
With a body of work that spans paintings, drawings, multiples, and large-scale installations, Hanai experimented with a new painting technique for this exhibition—stretching sheets of paper over wooden panels and then using gouache to achieve richly saturated hues and thick gauzy linework. Using this technique, the artist was able to relish the moments where colors spill over the edge of a line or accidentally mix in unexpected ways.
A rambunctious crowd of original characters populates the exhibition. From human protagonists to anthropomorphic animals, Hanai’s subjects tease each other, offer mutual praise, face unforeseen challenges, give heartfelt encouragement, and partake in moments of collaboration. Each image captures a moment imbued with something slightly odd or maybe a little silly, and while the subjects may appear melancholic or unsettled, their interactions are full of warmth.
Evoking the truism “Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fails.", Hanai employs his characters in exploring the resilience of the spirit and the perseverance inherent in daily life. By staging moments of adversity, he implies the ability to overcome them through individual or collective action. In Perseverance, a pair wades into a gust of wind, pushing valiantly against the storm, while in Untitled 2 a moment of comfort occurs during a smoke break in the face of an immense dark night sky.
A devoted surfer, the artist’s work contemplates the oft-contentious relationship between man and nature. In one of the largest works in the show, Face, a surfer eagerly wades into an oncoming swell, likely after having been knocked down trying to catch a previous wave. However, this relationship is not purely antagonistic. In Untitled, trees shelter a couple during a tender moment, and in works like Team Up and Join Force, animals and humans stand alongside one another to face unforeseen challenges. In Hanai’s work there is always harmony to be found, but only after pushing through the chaos with an open heart and fierce determination.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Pace Prints will release a new edition by the artist, titled Perseverance, based on the painting of the same name and available through the gallery. This release is the first collaboration between Yusuke Hanai and the Pace Prints printshop and was created using soft ground etching, relief printing, and pochoir to build layers of saturated color and capture the artist’s expressive lines.
Please contact us at info@paceprints.com to inquire or request any additional information.