The scent of everyday life. Capturing that moment

A fantasy world where humor lurks even in disturbing tones. NaQstoeru.mjk (hereinafter mjk), who is not only a painter but also has talents in many fields such as interior design and fashion, is celebrating his 10th anniversary of activity with an exhibition called "Savor", which consists of original works only.

The title, which means "fragrance," was inspired by memories being brought back by the lingering scent of passing by people, the scent of a place you visit, etc. The 14 paintings on display depict the moment when a scent brings back memories, as if pressing a camera shutter.

"The moment of action, like talking to someone, or sitting down and lighting a cigarette. I feel like I've been depicting those kinds of moments up until now. I want to create an atmosphere that makes you remember and savor those moments."

The motifs she consistently draws are chairs and a boyish character called "Sati." MJK loves furniture and when she paints, she hangs her canvas on a chair instead of an easel, so chairs are an essential tool in her work and in her life. She says that sometimes she feels as fond of chairs as a four-legged animal, and sees them as a fantasy that exists as an extension of her everyday life. This time, she has asked a furniture craftsman to create the chair she drew in the work. It will be exhibited together with her paintings.

"Furniture blends into the space it is in, but the way it is perceived changes depending on the mood of the day or the light that shines into the room. It is also an unrealistic thing that is not just about brightness or darkness."

"The light in my current studio is strong in the morning, and there are colors that can only be seen in natural light. When I turn on the incandescent lights in the evening, different colors appear than in the daytime, and these changes in color are one of the joys of painting."

Everyday life changes with the sunlight that shines into the studio. mjk uses acrylic paints and spray paints to combine warm and cool colors in a restrained way, and connects images of music, skateboarding, and architecture to create fantasy. It is meant to lure out the essence of beauty in life.

Everyday life descends into the depths of creativity

He has been drawing the fictional character Sati since he first began his creative career. While admitting that "my inner thoughts may have unintentionally come out in the character," he clearly denies that he is the motif. However, after 10 years of drawing, he says that he is at a point where he is "focusing on what kind of existence (he is) for me."

This exhibition includes works that zoom in and cut out parts of previous works, and can be positioned as an exploration of the creative background of mjk over the past 10 years.

"The motifs have remained the same, but in the early days, my work was more abstract, and I felt like I was moving the brush with force. Now that I'm more conscious of each individual line and my skills have improved, I want to control and express the rough parts of my early work."

French author Gustave Flaubert once said, "If you live a disciplined life like a bourgeois, you can write something wild and original." mjk, who seeks wild creativity as an artist, also completes his works in this way.

"Painting is a time of calm. Even the music I play in the background is slow. If I play music with a fast tempo, I make more mistakes. When my life is chaotic or I'm not in a good mood, I never get the chance to finish a painting."

The almost eerie colors born in response to images that arise like a jazz session. The lines that give the impression of a musicality that makes a fantasy stand out with just a monotonous riff. mjk's style is the result of facing the irreplaceable everyday as if to put a stamp on it.

In search of beauty in nameless life

In today's world, everything has become symbolic. It seems that the real world will become increasingly dominated by symbols and data. The somber atmosphere that permeates mjk's screens reflects the anxiety of consumers who are at risk of becoming slaves to increasingly cutting-edge technology.

In recent years, which are said to be the most innovative period since the Industrial Revolution, many artists, including young artists, are attempting to express themselves using traditional, physical methods, which seems to be a way of discovering the beauty of living a human life.

Simulationism, as in many aspects of pop culture, such as comics and graffiti art, emerged as a way to raise questions about the uniqueness and existence of art in a world that has become too fragmented and abstract, and in turn, in modern society. It is now gaining strength as a realistic technique.

Fantasy as a means and originality to living a human life. In order to recapture the lost beauty that arises from an anonymous life, mjk paints fantasies while basking in the morning sun and immersed in the evening twilight.