Portrait of Keita Morimoto, 2024
Photo: HarutaFollowing his inaugural solo exhibition with Almine Rech New York in 2025, Morimoto’s work will be presented by the gallery at Art Basel in Switzerland this June, ahead of a solo exhibition at Almine Rech Paris in 2027.
"I have long been intrigued by the scenes depicted in Keita's paintings, which are invariably set at night. Illuminated by the glow of the contemporary city, his figures belong to a generation born in the 1990s. They are part of an urban youth that discovers a sense of freedom after dark. Light has been a central subject for several artists from earlier generations represented by the gallery, and Keita brings a singular vision to it, one deeply rooted in the realities of the present day and conveyed through an exceptional command of painting."
— Almine Rech
Keita Morimoto (born 1990, Osaka, Japan) engages deeply with the techniques and themes of Baroque lighting, early 20th-century American Realism, and pre-modern Genre Painting. By referencing these historical movements, he reimagines contemporary urban life, transforming ordinary streets into extraordinary narratives. Through the symbolic use of light, he merges its sacred and natural connotations with the stark realities of consumerism and industrial culture, creating works that resonate with both historical depth and modern complexity.