The vibrant young Japanese art scene is represented by Yamada Kohei (b. 1997) who graduated with a major in oil painting from Musashino Art University in 2020 and completed his master’s degree at Kyoto University of the Arts in 2022.

Oil painting can involve repeated motions to cover the surface of the canvas. These may be made with a deep sense of contemplation or gesturally. For Yamada the process is the former, performed in a rhythmic manner. Once the surface is grounded, using a variety of flat brushes, a focal point is determined, layers are applied. Different underlying colors are the components needed to obtain the right surface smoothness and hue. A core element of his practice involves ‘covering’ and ‘concealing’, repetitive motion and a sense of underlying illumination.

Two recent oil paintings by Yamada Kohei are presented in the exhibition. Thick dark lines determine the location of planes and colors that may enclose slivers or blocks of colors. The imaginary architecture or landscapes - whose origins are memories, covered up and blurred by time - are bold. They are securely anchored but nevertheless seem ready to move in blocs due to small areas of contrasting colors or muted hues with smooth transitions. The paintings reverberate thanks to minute sparks of lightness.

His solo exhibitions include Strikethrough, Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo; Like hiding it, biscuit gallery, Tokyo; The Way the Lines Come In, MtK Contemporary Art and Kyoto Okazaki Tsutaya Books, Kyoto, 2022; road, HILLSIDE TERRACE ANNEX-A, Tokyo; Nobori, Oriru, Gallery Bisha, Tokyo. His paintings were exhibited at Paris + par Art Basel by Taka Ishii Gallery in 2023 and he is included in Le Consortium’s exhibition abstraction (re)creation – 20 under 40 in Dijon, FR.
He was a Contemporary Art Foundation (CAF) Award finalist in 2020.

Anne Mosseri-Marlio