Anaba/穴場 - Vacant Gallery Toyko, Japan (February 3 - February 18, 2024)

穴場 (Anaba) translates as "little-known good place". In fact, the main theme of this exhibition was to bring to light what is often overlooked in terms of aesthetics, design elements and atmospheres.

After spending long strecthes of time in Japan, often finding myself walking aimlessly through the never-ending streets of Japanese towns and villages, I made so many valuable discoveries that somehow has reshaped my sense of what is considered "beautiful". The overlooked aesthetics are usually found in the most unpredictable places, the "Anaba spots". This could be a building, a vehicle, a small object or even just an unintentional shape or detail - these unpredictable discoveries are endless sources of inspiration.

By creating these objects and paintings I can pay my respects  to the overlooked aspects of things and give them a new purpose.

The artworks in this exhibition were made with a great variety of different washi (Japanese paper). Some of the papers are more than 50 years old, some are freshly made, but the paper is what connects all the works and makes them feel like they belong together and resonate with the organic space of Vacant Gallery.