Akika Kurata crafts intimate, absorbing portraits of mostly female subjects. Using acrylic gouache, she creates works with both depth and tender, faded aspects that appear ghostly in nature. At the center of each portrait is an attempt to capture humanity. Her new show has the ability to transport the raw emotion within her subject’s eyes deep into a viewer’s heart.
On Saturday, January 12, downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery opened a solo exhibition, entitled And It Will Be Winter, featuring exceptional paintings from emerging Japanese talent Akika Kurata in Gallery 3.
Regarding her new show, Kurata shares: “I feel this visit of winter in memories and clothes with someone. A green sweater of a person I loved and friends smoking cigarettes. I always didn’t mind about any season, and they just come. Being 26-years-old, I feel this is the first time that I notice the winter.
We live a life with a variety of feelings. We all want to feel happy and cheerful, while having fun. We want to believe in the bright side of life. In reality, we can’t avoid feeling sad, painful and unfortunate events, which can happen in our life. It is better we don’t face them. However, by accepting such emotions and experiences, I would rather find out unique beauties and dramas in them. By swallowing negative emotions, we may see something that is thrillingly enchanting which is hidden there. It should be something that is strong enough to stand by us, rather than offering plain encouragement.”
