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Keita Morimoto “After Dark”
Kotaro Nukaga Tennoz
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Artists
Keita Morimoto
After 15 years in Canada, the artist has returned to Japan this year to unveil 17 new paintings at his first ever solo exhibition in his home country.
Keita Morimoto first began learning painting when he moved to Canada at the age of 16. He is particularly attracted to the techniques and compositions of classical painting, and by combining perfectly controlled expressions of light reminiscent of Baroque period paintings with motifs of everyday scenes from contemporary society, Morimoto forms an eclectic combination that allows him to open up his own original approach to realism. His ability to create beauty and mystique out of ordinary, unremarkable landscapes, together with his method of constructing personal narratives featuring anonymous protagonists, positions him within the lineage of magic realism represented by such artists as Edward Hopper and Peter Doig. At the same time, his dispassionate view of contemporary society introduces viewers to a brand new perspective.
His nighttime scenes purposefully evade iconic symbols that could be used to identify them as specific locations. Overlooked corners within the blindingly bright Tokyo cityscape, local train stations with few passengers, and familiar hilltops that you swear you’ve seen before somewhere but can’t remember where…Morimoto inserts unidentifiable figures into these unremarkable places, and depicts them in controlled light. In this way, he illuminates the transit points – the “anonymous places” – of our daily lives, and through the contrast of darkness and light, creates a “heterotopia,” a place where we can temporarily escape from the real world. We, the viewers, are invited into this “heterotopia” that Morimoto has created, a place that looks familiar, a place that could be anywhere.
Keita Morimoto first began learning painting when he moved to Canada at the age of 16. He is particularly attracted to the techniques and compositions of classical painting, and by combining perfectly controlled expressions of light reminiscent of Baroque period paintings with motifs of everyday scenes from contemporary society, Morimoto forms an eclectic combination that allows him to open up his own original approach to realism. His ability to create beauty and mystique out of ordinary, unremarkable landscapes, together with his method of constructing personal narratives featuring anonymous protagonists, positions him within the lineage of magic realism represented by such artists as Edward Hopper and Peter Doig. At the same time, his dispassionate view of contemporary society introduces viewers to a brand new perspective.
His nighttime scenes purposefully evade iconic symbols that could be used to identify them as specific locations. Overlooked corners within the blindingly bright Tokyo cityscape, local train stations with few passengers, and familiar hilltops that you swear you’ve seen before somewhere but can’t remember where…Morimoto inserts unidentifiable figures into these unremarkable places, and depicts them in controlled light. In this way, he illuminates the transit points – the “anonymous places” – of our daily lives, and through the contrast of darkness and light, creates a “heterotopia,” a place where we can temporarily escape from the real world. We, the viewers, are invited into this “heterotopia” that Morimoto has created, a place that looks familiar, a place that could be anywhere.
Schedule | Nov 20 (Sat) 2021-Jan 29 (Sat) 2022 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://kotaronukaga.com/en/exhibition/after-dark/ | ||||
| Venue | Kotaro Nukaga Tennoz https://www.kotaronukaga.com/en/ | ||||
| Location | 1F Terrada Art Complex Ⅱ, 1-32-8 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit B at Tennozu Isle Station on the Rinkai line, 11 minute walk from the Central exit of Tennozu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail line, 9 minute walk from the North exit of Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu Main line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6433-1247 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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