Berlin-based artist Yusk Imai creates fragmented monochromatic figures that draw upon a variety of artistic styles. Previously featured on our blog, Imai’s work channels themes found in Art Nouveau, as in his ornate detailing, or Surrealism, in more bizarre renderings, to modern day comic books. Often, these themes address the idea of an uncontrollable world all around us, whether through psychology, symbolism, or the supernatural. In his most recent works, Imai tries to understand the psychology behind feelings like forgetfulness and distraction. These explorations often take him “elsewhere”, to some strange other-world within his subconscious that is governed by dark characters. This is a core theme of his upcoming exhibition “Elsewhere”, opening on October 31st in Stockholm, Sweden. “I believe death, sexuality, transformation and fragmentation are part of a main group of pillars in our existence, and I see them as related to “Elsewhere” because these pillars must be explored in order to reach higher self-awareness and perception, minimizing the chances of being mischievously distracted,” he says. “In distraction, you find a type of happiness that comes with immense pleasure and is absolutely comfortable, but builds into nothing and that is where fear comes in. We are afraid to let go of this safe and comfortable state, and face what’s really important- ourselves.”
Yusk Imai’s “Elsewhere” curated by Konstart and Scribe Gallery, will be on view from October 31st through November 15th in Stockholm, Sweden.
Oil painter 
In the La Merced neighborhood in San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, costumed characters hit the streets to welcome the feast day of Our Lady of La Merced and reflect the sins of the wearer. In Diego Moreno’s photo series “Guardians of Memory,” he navigates this tradition in his old neighborhood and explores converging cultures by placing these monsters in domestic situations.
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Vancouver, educated in Denmark, and currently residing in Berlin –