Tokyo based artist Keita Morimoto sets a nostalgic tone at ATM Gallery. Having immigrated to Canada at the age of 16 and spending 16 years of his life there, Keita is known for his paintings of Toronto cityscapes and inhabitants. Keita typically works in oil on linen and incorporates classic techniques into modern imagery, transforming everyday scenes into extraordinary ones.
His series In Between Shadows, takes one on a journey through personal snapshots of moments in time. He emphasizes the light, shadow and color of night scenes in the city, pulling saturated hues from the light sources into his subject matter. Street lamps, the glowing light of vending machines, and neon signs of storefronts illuminate his paintings. His work depicts a first person perspective of a scene, giving one the feeling that they are looking through Keita’s eyes. Only a few of his works in this series include bystanders and other people, however these paintings do not lack a focal point. The light sources make the works become what is alive.
Keita usually paints his works in fastidious detail, but as one moves in closer, the calculated, individual strokes of color are revealed. Complimentary colors and the push and pull of warm and cool tones make Keita’s work so successful. One will find that within the focal points of light, there lies a variety of color, pushing the rest of the scene backward into a more static and limited palette of blue and green hues.
One might be surprised to feel an emotional connection while gazing upon street lamps and illuminated vending machine lights, but Keita’s work is a deja vu experience. The scenes in his paintings have a familiarity, as if they’ve been experienced already, universally. They are moments one might long for or perhaps forgot about.
-Moira Kelly (Revision)
I really loved how you described Keita's use of colors. I remember this exhibit as well and was super drawn to how he used greens and blues and rendered those super saturated lights. I also think that the inclusion of his background lends his work important context. I also really liked how you described the feeling of emotion and familiarity that these paintings had. There was something dreamlike and almost surreal about these paintings, like a memory electrified.
ReplyDeleteThe description of the paintings was great, I feel like I can visualize them perfectly from the words you chose. I think you nailed the idea that his paintings are all about color blocking and harmonies. That’s the sense I got from his work too- that they are very calculatedly built around certain color schemes, and these highlight little electric moments in a cityscape. If you had more space, I’d love to hear more about the idea of painting about Deja Vu.
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