The Artist

Steven Hasegawa is a Toronto-born Japanese artist exploring the combination of his two seemingly divergent cultures - Canadian and Japanese. He creates works of art which tie the two cultures together to create his idealistic interpretation of Japanese Canadian art. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada.  He later studied graphic design and worked as a graphic designer for over a decade until he decided to fully dedicate himself to being a professional full-time artist. 

He brings his Japanese and Canadian cultural background, traditional Japanese patterns and bold colours onto his canvases. His work often features iconic Canadian and North American symbols and patterns, interwoven with traditional Japanese subject matter such as samurais, geishas, and Japanese paper cranes.  Present in his work are both traditional painting and graphic design techniques. He digitally designs custom patterns and uses them as stencils, which he intricately paints into his artwork .