Keita Morimoto's new exhibition, To Nowhere and Back, showcases his artistic exploration of urban environments. Focusing on overlooked spaces like corner stores and lampposts, Morimoto transforms these settings into canvases that reflect emotions of isolation and disconnection. Drawing on his own experiences moving from Osaka to Canada and back, he paints with a cinematic quality that elevates ordinary scenes into intriguing depictions of light and shadow. His work captures how fleeting moments in familiar places can evoke deeper truths about belonging and urban life, offering insight into navigating change and seeking connection.
The anonymous, liminal spaces in my paintings echo the feeling of never fully belonging. I'm drawn to the way emotions can transform a familiar setting into something entirely different, revealing deeper truths about the human experience.
My work reflects a lifetime of navigating conflict, loneliness, and the desire to escape within urban environments. When I moved from Osaka to Canada at 16, I experienced a profound sense of isolation... the discomfort returned when I returned to Japan in 2021.
Rather than translate streets he's wandered down directly onto the canvas, Morimoto paints with a cinematic quality, pulling the viewer from the familiar and making even the most ordinary sidewalk appear intriguing.
Zeroing in on light sources further supports this vision, and artificial bulbs become beacons amid scenes shrouded in darkness. The artist considers how these machines create a 'robotic harmony in Japanese urban life'.
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