KEITA MORIMOTO: TO NOWHERE AND BACK
Almine Rech New York, Tribeca is pleased to present 'To Nowhere and Back,' Keita Morimoto's first solo exhibition with the gallery.
March 14 – April 26, 2025
Keita Morimoto’s paintings investigate the interplay of light and shadow, offering a reimagined perspective on the modern urban landscape. Rooted in classical techniques and infused with contemporary sensibilities, his works transform everyday scenes into cinematic tableaux that hover between reality and dream. Morimoto challenges viewers to uncover beauty in the mundane and magic in the overlooked by marrying meticulous observation with an otherworldly atmosphere. In 'To Nowhere and Back' at Almine Rech in New York City, he continues his exploration of light as a transformative force, turning the quotidian into the paranormal. Through the construction of liminal spaces, his paintings create thresholds between the concrete urban world and the ethereal realm of memory, inviting viewers to discover enchantment within the unnoticed.
Morimoto uses his paintings to cultivate a peculiar space between belonging and displacement many of us inhabit in the modern world. Neither strictly past nor present, neither entirely physical nor conceptual, Morimoto’s works transcend time and space, inviting viewers into a world that is at once familiar and otherworldly. At their core lies an abiding fascination with light—not merely as a visual medium but as a means of conveying emotion, crafting narratives, and bridging the mundane with the sublime. “The anonymous, liminal spaces in my paintings echo the feeling of never fully belonging,” Morimoto shares. “I’m drawn to the way emotions can transform a familiar setting into something entirely different, revealing deeper truths about the human experience.”
In 'To Nowhere and Back,' Morimoto captures the ephemeral allure of urban life while exploring more profound questions of identity, memory, and transcendence. These works are not merely windows into Morimoto’s world but mirrors reflecting our shared experiences of solitude, connection, and the fleeting beauty of modern life. Each exhibition Morimoto creates unfolds as a journey through the hidden corners of cityscapes—those overlooked spaces that become supernatural realms through Morimoto’s gaze.
By rendering the urban environment in and around Tokyo universally familiar, Morimoto reminds us that, even in our most solitary moments, we are united by the shared experience of city life and the common language of light. This visionary practice makes the journey between nowhere and somewhere a destination. In this space, the physical and metaphysical converge with the temporal, transmuting his pictorial planes into the magical. In this way, Morimoto’s art creates an environment for reflection, offering a sanctuary where the ordinary is imbued with more profound meaning anchored by the complexities of connection, solitude, and the mysteries of existence.