By Art Hazelwood
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This screenprint, Cultured Woman – Tokyo, is a sharp, knowing example of Art Hazelwood’s satirical voice—stylish, unsettling, and quietly biting. The elongated female figure dominates the composition, her body exaggerated into a narrow vertical column that reads as both fashionable and faintly grotesque. Her pose is elegant yet strained, chin lifted, gaze distant, projecting confidence that borders on caricature.
Hazelwood’s line work is incisive and deliberate. The woman’s clothing—fur-trimmed coat, patterned dress, high boots—signals cosmopolitan sophistication, while the acid clarity of her facial features undermines any straightforward glamour. Makeup becomes mask-like; refinement tips into artifice. The palette is cool and controlled, reinforcing a sense of emotional remove beneath the polished surface.
At her feet, the small dog functions as a critical counterpoint. It echoes her presence while subtly mocking it, grounding the image in Hazelwood’s characteristic irony. The pairing suggests themes of status, performance, and cultural self-consciousness, with Tokyo serving less as a literal place than as a symbol of globalized style and curated identity.
Like much of Hazelwood’s work, the print resists easy judgment. It is neither cruel nor celebratory, but observant—a portrait of modern sophistication rendered with wit, skepticism, and a razor-edged sense of humor.
Signed and numbered color woodcut from the edition of 15. Modern woman in Tokyo; signed and titled edition of 15.
Art Hazelwood calls himself artist, instigator and impresario to define the three intertwining areas of his practice. He uses printmaking within a range of political allegory and satire making work from political posters to fine press edition artist books. He has curated and organized a range of exhibitions at venues from museums to immigrant centers. He has worked for over 20 years with homeless rights groups; creating prints, and street posters, and has authored one book and contributed to another on art and homelessness.
He has been a regular visiting guest artist at San Quentin State Prison and teaches currently at the San Francisco Art Institute. He organized the San Francisco Poster...
Category
2010s Contemporary Gu Yuan Art
