Corey Helford Gallery's video: KAZUKI TAKAMATSU Decoration Armament Japanese Art in LA

For more information on Kazuki Takamatsu's exhibit, please visit: http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/shows/kazuki-takamatsu-2016/ Kazuki’s new collection will feature his signature beautiful depth map paintings read like misty x-rays of anime fantasies, mixing traditional and modern techniques. Always on a jet black background, these graphic spiritual essences leap off their surfaces, created in part with a 3D program, but painted by hand in a painstakingly detailed layering process. Each graduating spiral that emerges is perhaps a Shinto variant of Dante’s Inferno, the emotional age rings of Kazuki’s adolescent, ethereal figures. The abstract creative forces of nature are integral to Kazuki’s work. Kinetic energy rendered in gouache as hair, sound waves, and pools of water connect his compositions. In this way, Kazuki depicts the young people of Japanese society he believes are a generation lost in compliance with its elders. Commenting on “Decoration Armament,” Kazuki says: “I love the concept of people using ‘decorations.’ I believe when people wear makeup, tattoos, dress up, or even work out, they are enhancing their uniqueness, changing themselves for the better - they become more noble, confident, strong and beautiful than before and they achieve a boldness as if they were wearing armor. On the other hand, such beautification can represent a sort of inferiority complex, where we are using them to hide our insecurities. These motifs therefore become a form of deception or dishonest act, or like a ‘manifest intent’ by adulterers (lovers) who seek the affections from another. These ‘decorations’ are found in history, such as in talismans or cosmetics, the earliest form of ritual in human culture, considered to be a symbol of bravery, or having the power to inspire and stimulate one mentally. It’s a ritual that has endured through to modern society, where people in today’s world continue to receive ‘armament’ through beauty and the strength of character that they receive from self-improvement.” Adds Takamatsu, “Some of the patterns and designs being used in my work are borrowed from design materials- and any similarities to a specific religion, culture or politics is not intentional.” For up-to-date news and more: http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/ Stay connected with us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/coreyhelfordgallery https://twitter.com/coreyhelford https://www.instagram.com/coreyhelfordgallery/ Film by Eric Minh Swenson.