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Oil Paintings of Kei Imazu Recontextualize Art History

The oil paintings of Kei Imazu appear as a convergence of art history and cultures, surreal collisions reminiscent of a digital glitch. Her works begin as collages, sourced from the Internet or analog media, before being even further recontextualized as a singular painting. The result is something that feels separate from any one era, wholly fresh yet familiar.

The oil paintings of Kei Imazu appear as a convergence of art history and cultures, surreal collisions reminiscent of a digital glitch. Her works begin as collages, sourced from the Internet or analog media, before being even further recontextualized as a singular painting. The result is something that feels separate from any one era, wholly fresh yet familiar.

The gallery Azito adds this, on her process: “After making a collage, she transforms it from her own point of view. Some sceneries are like melted while the others are like collapsed. For Imazu, the meaning that the motif contains is not important in the end. Moreover, she enjoys the colors and shapes of the motifs. She shifts our view to see all objects’ aesthetics and the entire composition.”

The artist currently lives and works in Tokyo, where she participates in both solo and group exhibitions. See more of her work below.

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