The Cabin LA just opened Floating Like a Dream, a new body of work by London-based, Japanese painter, Koshiro Akiyama. The artist creates an idealistic landscape that reflects on a psychological condition that deals not only with utopian ideals but also morbidity. In the mind, there is a constant shift between tension and relaxation, which weaves its intimate narratives and a sense of ambiguity into the work. Using a phenomenological and simple process he depicts deeply private and intimate spaces, with a sense of compassion.
Influenced by the writings of Simone Weil (called by Susan Sontag "one of the most ... troubling witnesses to the modern travail of the spirit"), Koshiro’s work is grounded upon a melancholy rumination originating from the moment of his mother’s death. This event gave rise to both his melancholy and an impulse to escape from the inevitable fact of death.
Koshiro’s works are based on photos and memories. The mediums he uses, especially acrylic, ink, and watercolor, are chosen to build up multiple transparent layers with fluid brushstrokes. Having absorbed the expressive, disturbing potential of Eduard Munch's work, he uses vibrant, even lurid, colors and with these, he constructs illusionistic and dream-like worlds. The locations are often in an outdoor setting, such as the seaside, a ski resort, or a park. Koshiro employs a direct, intuitive process to use these settings to create psychologically probing paintings.
Another significant factor in the aftermath of a period of depression is the moment of huge consolation: ‘catharsis.’ This moment comes close to freeing you from anxiety or despair. In Koshiro’s work, he attempts to express his feeling about it. It’s a meditative practice. Although the figures in his paintings are presented as vulnerable, he also tries to show the resilience of the human mind which is a symbol of power and beauty.
