Monstrous Dreams:
Yōkai of Japan

Process & Technique

• 01
  Uncovered Through Abrasion

  Each painting is built through successive layers of acrylic and wax — painted, sanded, and repainted sometimes dozens of times. The yōkai are not drafted and then rendered; they are uncovered through abrasion. Sanding removes certainty. Repainting reintroduces ambiguity.

• 02
  Surface as Palimpsest

  Fragments of earlier forms remain embedded beneath subsequent layers. The stratified surface of each painting parallels the structure of folklore itself — each version carrying traces of those that preceded it.

• 03
  Woodblock & Lacquerware Reference

  Color gradations and border structures evoke the ukiyo-e woodblock tradition. A layering and sanding method mirrors the meticulous process of Japanese urushi lacquerwork, building depth across the surface.

• 04
  The Studio as Threshold

  Much of this work was produced in basements and repurposed warehouses in industrial Osaka — transitional environments neither fully public nor entirely private. Descending into those spaces became a preparatory act. The repetition of layering and sanding took on a ritual rhythm.

• 05
  Serial Viewing

  Recurring motifs across the series — dark framing borders, atmospheric fields, restrained palettes, symmetrical compositions — establish coherence across hundreds of works. When exhibited together, recognition unfolds gradually. The uncanny becomes inhabitable rather than resolved.