‘Untitled’, 2024. Mixed media, collage on board, 60 × 90 cm. Even when recognizable materials and motifs appear in her collages, Keeenue’s unique sense of color and form remains unmistakable.
With vivid hues and rhythmic forms that compel the eye to wander across the canvas, the paintings of Keeenue captivate at first glance. Originally drawn to the world of design and art direction, the Kanagawa-born artist majored in graphic design at university.
‘I wanted to be involved in creative work, so I looked for a job as an artist’s assistant. But over time, I found it hard to make my own work while staying busy with someone else’s. After working with Keiichi Tanaami for three years, my desire to paint grew stronger and stronger. Eventually, I decided to leave and pursue life as an artist.’
Her works bring together recognizable figures—humans and animals rendered in a character-like style—with abstract, expressive compositions of color and line. The result is a striking balance between the figurative and the abstract.
‘I’ve always liked looking at old paintings. Lately, I’ve been paying attention to Matisse, who experimented with a variety of techniques. I also look at a lot of photographs. The compositions, as well as the poses of the people in them, often spark ideas for paintings.’
Spray paint, which she started using recently, has become a tool for experimentation—inviting chance into the work. At the same time, she’s rediscovered the joy of collage, where colors and shapes can be arranged intuitively by hand. Lately, she’s also begun exploring the balance between abstraction and figuration through the relationship between image and language.
Keeenue is eager to push her practice beyond the canvas, embracing new mediums and forms. When asked what lies ahead, she reflects:
‘I have concrete goals, like exhibiting and creating more work overseas. But if you can imagine something, you can usually get closer to it with enough effort. That’s why I want to become someone I can’t yet imagine. I hope to live in a future where I’m doing things I couldn’t possibly picture now.’
More information about Keeenue is available on the artist’s website.
Keeenue
Born in 1992 in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, she exhibits paintings and large-scale murals in Japan and abroad. Her recent solo show Color Outside the Lines, was on view at PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO until February 3rd 2025.
‘Pregnant Pause’, 2024. Acrylic, oil pastel, aerosol paint on canvas, 162 × 130.3 cm. Historically, depictions of pregnant bodies were considered taboo in visual art. Learning this, Keeenue layered her painting to challenge the gaze.
‘Pangolin’, 2024. Acrylic, aerosol paint on canvas, 202.5 × 410 cm. The world’s most trafficked mammal, the pangolin, is hunted for its scales—despite no scientific basis for their use in medicine. This large-scale work explores the blurred lines between truth and reality.
‘Internal Landscape’, 2023. Acrylic, oil pastel, aerosol paint on canvas, 91 × 72.7 cm. Part of a recent series inspired by scent and the imagination of smell. The layered depths of the canvas draw the viewer in.
The artist at work in her studio.