Oku-Kei 13

Shinro Ohtake’s most recent series ‘Oku-Kei’ (‘memory scapes’) is distinguished by its pronounced use of colour and figuration. The works are created from cut-out photographs and other found materials, overlaid with sheets of clear acrylic that are painted with bursts of iridescent colour to create an intense visual field. Luminous blooms of yellow, green, blue and pink, and patches of white, hover on a plane above scraps of paper, fabric and tape assembled in layers that reveal old film stills, erotic photographs and commercial drawings. Sourced from product catalogues, media reportage and illustrated textbooks, these images interest Ohtake for their ‘diluted’ expressive intent, rather than their content. He favours images that are typically emotionless attempts to communicate reality, and opens up the narrow range of possible readings by creating new combinations.

Ohtake maintains a balance of rebelliousness and refinement in his work, which is based on the acts of cutting and pasting images, testing the viscosity and hue of paint, and recycling discarded objects. His works in APT9 are from two recent series: the abstract works of the ‘Time Memory’ series, begun in 2011, and the more figurative works known as ‘Oku-Kei’ (literally ‘Memory Scapes’) from 2017–18.

For all the apparent intensity of the surfaces of Ohtake’s works, they are created with great patience, though his process of selection is impulsive and intuitive. The artist methodically creates layers of material inspired by geological strata, striving for a ‘variation of density’, rather than a thematic connection between elements.

Ohtake is also interested in the way that layering images and materials evokes the jumble of urban streetscapes, the passage of time, and the associative quality of memories and dreams. His work is a material-driven investigation into vision and memory, founded on the daily experience of living in a world saturated with images.

Exhibited in 'The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT9) | 24 Nov 2018 – 28 Apr 2019