Koki Morimoto

Hiroshima-based painter Koki Morimoto sees nature’s cyclical patterns reflected in his abstract monochrome compositions. It seems appropriate, then, that his six-year-old daughter was the first to note the bean-like shape that has become a recurring motif in nearly every large, graceful, calligraphic brushstroke. The thick, swaying black acrylic lines Morimoto applies move in generous loops and curves that often evoke flowers, human forms or figure eights. He playfully evades figurative interpretation, occasionally alluding to beans in titles, more often letting viewers grow their own imagery.

His willingness to entertain interpretations of his abstract compositions without adhering to any fixed reading is indicative of the incredible aesthetic power and versatility of Morimoto’s paintings. Each piece is rich in subtle, careful textural detail, demanding careful following of brushwork and shading. But every canvas, taken as a whole, also has stunning visual force, an arresting and deceptively simple beauty that evokes abstracts by Joan Miró. Nurtured by such fine-tuned visual eloquence and formal complexity, Morimoto’s work constantly grows.