ACCORDION 

Yoko d’Holbachie created this surreal scene with oil on canvas. It depicts otherworldly beings engaged in making music, evoking a playful carnival. Born in Tokyo and now based in Los Angeles, d’Holbachie's work blends Japanese pop-art aesthetics with a dark, almost gothic sensibility. The figures, with their oversized eyes and fanciful forms, invite us into a dreamlike space. The visual language here, reminiscent of children’s book illustrations, belies the underlying complexities. D’Holbachie came into prominence during a shift in the art world, in which the internet allowed artists working outside the mainstream to find an audience. Understanding d’Holbachie’s art involves knowing the culture from which it came, and the institutional shifts that allowed the work to find exhibition space. Art history provides the tools to analyze both artistic technique and social context.