What a Soft Embrace

“ What a Soft Embrace ”　　2025　　65.5 x 50.2 cm

alkyd resin, oil and charcoal on canvas

The snake seems to be talking to the boy monster. This work, with its mysterious and symbolic iconography, must have some story behind it. In addition to the black strokes covering the screen, the painting is also in dull gold and blue. The entire screen is also sprinkled with grains of paint in various colors, including red. Sober and gorgeous. It is an attractive piece with a textured, woven feel.

Nishi Taishi has drawn stories about the boy's violence and anxiety on canvas using characters called “monsters.” I felt signs of change in Art Osaka's new work the other day, and now I feel that change. I think the motifs I showed at the first solo exhibition “The Conductor” at this gallery in 2017 and the characters developed since then have merged in a good way, and the paintability has become strong and intense. In that sense, the current exhibition “Rain Falling in the Distance” is a compilation of Western productions so far, and it is an exhibition where future directions can be anticipated.