Motohide Takami: Apathy

By painting landscapes that depict models, rather than real scenery, Takami attempts to capture the gap between viewer and object.

As indicated by the theme “fires on another shore,” these motifs are one step removed from reality and lack accuracy, making them intentionally distorted. The point of view expressed is that of an ignorant, uninterested, or indifferent “bystander,” drawing allusions with our own unconscious reactions to events.

The faint sense of incongruity or unease the viewer draws from these distorted motifs is perhaps the flip side of the freedom to interpret daily matters that we all possess.