YUGEN Gallery will hold a solo exhibition by Akimoto, "Abstract, Figurative and President" from Saturday, July 1st to Thursday, July 6th, 2023.

Something between abstract and figurative

It feels like a letter from a foreign friend. A surreal world is drawn there. Seki Akimoto started his career after winning the Grand Prix of Hobonichi Itoi Shimbun's 2nd Hobonichi Manga Award (2012), and has worked on books and illustrations for TV commercials.

He creates not only two-dimensional works but also three-dimensional works by combining collages based on overseas printed materials found in second-hand bookstores and flea markets and paintings with acrylic paints. His work has gained popularity both in Japan and overseas, with solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and being invited to art fairs in Asia.

Akimoto draws figurative works such as one-frame comics and abstract paintings by collage. He says that he is interested in drawing something that floats between figurative and abstract rather than fixing his style. "Abstract, Representation and President" consists of paintings and collage works that focus on colors, shapes, and textures of painting materials such as acrylic paints without being bound by themes. About 20 old and new works will be exhibited.

“When I work on paintings with the attitude that the meaning and concept are secondary, I feel that the painting I want is somewhere between abstraction and representation. I don't know what it means, but the president is probably in a great position in a place that is neither abstract nor concrete.

Pleasant “feeling bad”

Akimoto says that even when it comes to color schemes, just a pleasant combination won't catch your heart. "Pleasant and disgusting", with the theme of noise, she draws a world where foreign objects coexist in familiar everyday life.

“I am interested in expressions that are not to my liking, and that are too difficult to understand even for works by other artists. It is not an incomprehensible displeasure, but a fascinating mystery. A painting that is not in the real world, an expression that is unlikely to be made, is a distant ideal.”

A collage that creates creations "outside my imagination" by sampling and editing materials "outside my area of ​​interest" such as illustrations of tools. Based on collage as a method of pursuing fascinating mysteries, I have created works by painting with acrylic paint.

Akimoto says that while he enjoyed encountering expressions that he himself had never thought of, he was also conflicted that he could not face painting because he did not receive a specialized art education. From there, he developed a strong desire to create paintings that ``straighten his emotions on his arm, placing the greatest emphasis on the appeal of colors and shapes''. We will also announce works that worked on ting works.

“Nowadays, when I look at various things on my smartphone, I think they are all the same size. The bad feeling and funny feeling when you do it in front of you remains in your heart.”

For example, the intention to shake the senses of the viewer can be seen in the attempt to paint a vast landscape on a 5 cm square canvas, and the viewer can feel that the senses are opened as if listening to the sound hidden deep in the body. prize.

We are uncertain and anxious

Before digital, it was like searching for a radio channel with the wrong frequency.

Akimoto says that whether it's a collage or painting the canvas as he pleases, he wants to reach something that can be called a work from the uneasy process of not knowing what will be completed. It is said that what is born there is "like one step before a one-panel comic".

The essence of life lies in feeling good and feeling bad. Akimoto's work, which is born from an uneasy process, finds us in uncertain and uneasy existences.