Untitled 2008

Aki Kuroda, born in Japan in 1944, created this untitled work, using what appears to be a mixed media approach of paint and ink. Kuroda’s art frequently explores themes of identity and existence, rendered through a dreamlike visual language. This piece feels like a stage set for a play; the characters, like the fish, the ambiguous human-like figures, and the orange spheres, are all arranged in a composition that invites the viewer to imagine their narratives. Kuroda once said, ‘Painting is a form of mental and physical exercise.’ It is not a depiction of something that exists but more an active process of becoming. This work embodies a sense of searching, questioning, and the transient nature of being. It reminds us of the ever-shifting, fluid nature of our identities.