TAICHI  YONEMURA  PAINTINGS​

Artist Statement 

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I was born in Japan in 1985, and my creative practice centers on oil painting.
Today, we are fortunate to have access to a wide range of captivating techniques and materials that have been studied and refined over the long history of art, allowing us to select and use them freely as needed. Among them, oil paint—while a traditional medium—continues to support diverse forms of expression, from thick textures and translucent layers to dynamic brushwork, fine detail, gradients, and even integration with other media. I draw on these expressive qualities in my own work.There is something profoundly engaging about the process through which paint—initially just colored paste on a palette—transforms into the textures and light that appear on the canvas. At times, however, unexpected surfaces sometimes emerge when the paint flows, blends, or bleeds under the force of gravity. When both intentional control and uncontrollable phenomena coexist on the surface, I feel as though I’m in dialogue or negotiation with the material itself.

In an age where the presence of people and objects is becoming increasingly ambiguous—shaped by the rise of the internet, social media, and AI—creating art has become, for me, a way to physically engage with tangible materials, to feel real connections with others, and to rediscover a solid sense of self. Through my work, I aim to reflect the nature of contemporary existence and to offer viewers a moment to reconsider their own presence in the world.

The series I’m currently working on, titled “MEISAI,” began in 2020 in response to the shifting global landscape. Its theme is “the ambivalence of conformity.”In our digital age, where countless opinions intermingle online, we often find comfort in aligning our thoughts with others, yet simultaneously feel uneasy as our true selves become buried beneath those external influences. I see this kind of emotional complexity as emblematic of modern life.In this series, I depict figures attempting to blend into their surroundings by covering themselves in the same color as the background—imagery inspired by legends of Japanese ninjas who concealed themselves by draping patterned cloth to match nearby walls. The title “MEISAI” comes from the Japanese word for “camouflage.”Throughout the series, you’ll find patterns created by chance—paint that has flowed and settled on its own. By surrendering some control to the paint itself, I’ve discovered unexpected visuals that I could never have conceived on my own. At times, this unpredictability can be frustrating, but it also brings a fresh sense of wonder.

Lastly, I would like to emphasize that this series is not intended as a critique of social media or conformity. Rather, it seeks to symbolically portray the modern human being—navigating between various relationships, information, and methods of self-expression.