Kenta Torii’s vibrant paintings are a striking blend of traditional imagery and contemporary sensibilities. The Japan-born artist, who has been based in Mexico for more than a decade, offers this in both traditional works and murals. WIthin these works are also hints of tattoo and street culture, integrated into his fantastical creatures and scenes.
A recent statement explains one particularly piece, in particular, as translated: “Japanese visual artist Kenta Torii, who since 2005 lives in Mexico presents ‘Salamandragon head.’ The circle that appears above the work says ‘dream’; below the word ‘power’ appears. It is the head of the dragon, animal that symbolizes power, the strongest and unlimited, which evolves to adapt to changes and becomes eternal. Through this work, Kenta shares a message for dreamers who want to make their dreams come true. The Salmadragon has 5 eyes that means that in order to move forward you have to have more ways of seeing the world and taking different perspectives. The 6 ears mean that you have to be alert all the time to be an expert on the ground.”
See more of the artist’s work below.
Turkish artist 
Painter Allison Zuckerman’s work pulls from the past and digital present of art history to craft amalgamated depictions of women. She first designs her works digitally, then prints them on the canvas before applying paint to the creation. This year has brought multiple museum exhibitions for the artist, including stints at Akron Art Museum and Herziliya Museum and the University of Florida.
Despite the meticulous control and calculated perspectives, Canadian artist 
Nichole Rae Klein’s oil and egg tempera paintings blend ordinary beings and unearthly flourishes. Those timeless materials, in particular, add a tension to the artist’s scenes and portraits. The painter says her process is time consuming, but the “slowness provides me enough time to look around the scene and notice what my subject might have missed during their attempt to keep everything under control.”