B ursting forth in a chromatic eruption of compositional dynamism across its richly textured surface, Wooo (Lot 8) by Kei Imazu is a vibrant example of the artist’s delicately layered work. Building layers of juxtaposing forms and expressive strokes of oil and acrylic colour, the present work offers its viewer an archaeological survey of the creative strata that accumulated to form Imazu’s extraordinary visual aesthetic. From within the strands of electric blue and pink emerge Imazu’s signature oscillation between abstraction and figuration; half revealed faces, a floating pretzel and various sculptural icons appears scattered throughout the composition. Rich in classical references and iconoclastic pop imagery, Wooo is a delicately realised example of Imazu’s characteristic exploration of the interplay between technology and the painterly tradition. Digitally creating compositions before applying them onto the canvas, Imazu creates innovative, highly irreverent pieces. Incorporating otherwise disparate elements, from historical art imagery to content on modern-day social media platforms, works by the artist have been exhibited in prominent istitutions such as Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota, United States and Museum Haus Kasuya, Kanagawa, Japan.

Like debris reminiscent of scenes of a disaster, the various references embedded within the strata of the composition clearly delineate the artist’s process; Imazu precisely maps out the composition using computer software before it’s execution on canvas. The great luminous swathes of pigment thus partially reveal and conceal the collage of elements beneath, bringing together the fragmented visual effects of collage with the fluid integration of painting. Instantly recalling the work of de Kooning, the contrasting sets of imagery and bold, fleshy tones of pink and beige of the present work are at once graphic and painterly, capturing a frenzied interplay between voluminous matter and tempestuous brushstrokes that fills the composition to its edges.

Born in 1980 and raised in Japan, Indonesia-based Kei Imazu has gained popularity for her visually engaging works, often rich in classical references and electrified with her own spin. The present work was prominently exhibited at the artist’s 2017 show Overgrown at Jakarta’s ROH Projects and is a mesmerising example of the young artist’s enigmatic oeuvre. Following this milestone solo show at ROH, Jakarta, the artist has been honoured with solo exhibitions at Yamamoto Gendai gallery and Anomaly gallery in Tokyo and Museum Haus Kasuya in Kanagawa, and her visually dynamic works have garnered the artist much commercial success, with Replica Shoes ’s Hong Kong selling another wonderfully layered work, Black Eyes (2016) last year for HK$1.8 million, almost 12 t.mes s its pre-sale low estimate. Indeed, Imazu has received worldwide recognition, notably with her nomination in 2020 as a finalist, alongside the winner Toyin Ojih Odutola, for the prestigious Prix Jean Francois Prat in France.

《W OOO》質感豐厚，色彩迸發的構圖活力四射，是今津景以巧思層疊作品的一例。在本作中，今津將油彩和壓克力彩畫成的形狀和筆觸並置，並透過層層疊加，令觀者得以一睹形成其非凡視覺美學的創意圖層。半遮的面孔、懸浮的蝴蝶餅和各種雕塑形象散落在構圖四周；在電光藍色和粉紅色的線條中，可見今津一如以往，遊走於抽象和具象之間。《WOOO》包羅豐富的古典藝術元素和反傳統的流行意象，從歷史上的藝術形象以至現今社交媒體平台上的內容，皆一一兼收並蓄，顯示出今津對技術與繪畫傳統之間相互影響的探索。今津在落筆前會先以數碼形式繪製構圖，其筆下的作品新穎而有別傳統，更曾於多間享譽全球的機構展出，包括美國明尼阿波利斯美術館和日本神奈川縣 Kasuya 之森現代美術館。

《WOOO》分層中的各種取材就似災難場景的殘駭，清晰紀錄了藝術家的作畫過程。在畫布上落筆前，今津會先用電腦軟件精確繪畫構圖。下層的拼貼元素在大片發光的顏料半掩下若隱若現，其碎片化視覺效果加上顏料的流暢感，令作品別開生面。《WOOO》的意象與鮮豔亮麗的粉色和米色色調有著鮮明對比，逼真卻又富繪畫色彩，堆疊的物質和填滿構圖邊緣的狂放筆觸之間的相互作用不言而喻，令人立時想到威廉·德庫寧（Willem de Kooning）的作品。

1980 年生的今津景在日本長大，現定居印尼，往往以別樹一幟的風格重新演繹豐富的古典藝術元素，創作出視覺效果出眾的作品，廣受歡迎。2017 年，這位年輕的藝術家在雅加達 ROH Projects 舉辦展覽「Overgrown」，本作亦是當時展出的其中一作。在這場具有里程碑意義的個展之後，今津景接著亦在東京山本現代畫廊、東京 Anomaly 畫廊及神奈川縣 Kasuya 之森現代美術館舉辦個展。出色的作品令她贏得重大的商業成功，香港蘇富比去年就以 180 萬港元，近乎是預售低估價的 12 倍，售出其層次豐富分明的《黑色眼眸》（2016 年）。今津在國際藝壇上備受推崇，曾在 2020 年獲提名並入選法國著名的 Prix Jean Francois Prat（當年勝出者為托印·奧吉赫·奧杜托拉（Toyin Ojih Odutola））。