"Like seeing this world for the first time" OIL

Kenji Sakai is an artist who works with a variety of techniques, including silkscreen and oil painting. This exhibition featured a new series of paintings that capture structures and landscapes through geometric compositions. The series was created as a response to the artist’s reflection on his environment and past, inspired by the wars and disasters occurring in recent years. Drawing from childhood memories of playing with Nikitin building blocks and observing the cycle of destruction and reconstruction in architecture, Sakai’s work explores the themes of rebuilding and transformation.

The geometric shapes on Sakai’s canvases evoke a mysterious texture and depth, while inviting viewers to interpret them as various landscapes. The works encourage viewers to imagine themselves walking or climbing within these spaces.

Sakai states, “The act of continuous reconstruction and movement is the most fundamental activity of life, bringing brilliance to humanity. In an information-driven society where algorithms lead everyone to see and feel the same things, I feel that humans risk becoming stagnant and unchanging. I wanted this exhibition to be like setting out on a journey from a comfortable, safe harbor, rediscovering new perspectives and meeting the world anew.”

Sakai’s paintings awaken the importance of change in contemporary society, fostering encounters with new perspectives and awareness. Be sure to experience them at the exhibition venue.

Visual design by Heijiro Yagi