Untitled 1995

Aki Kuroda made this untitled painting with broad brushstrokes of vivid blocks of colour. I imagine him, perhaps with a palette knife, spreading red, blue, yellow, and green. I wonder what Kuroda was thinking, layering the bold hues, each separated by a thick black line. The colours feel flat and graphic, but there is a fluidity to the marks, like he was in a dance with his materials. It reminds me a bit of Matisse, but tougher, maybe more punk? I feel a strong connection to that white shape in the center, like it wants to be read as a figure. It almost looks like a ghostly apparition. That central form is a striking interruption, an uncanny presence. Painters like Kuroda show us how abstraction can hint at stories, inviting us into the realm of suggestion. I love how the act of painting makes space for ambiguity, letting the artist and the viewer wander into unexpected territories.