Few artist’s works today are created to be enjoyed with the simplicity of knowing that what is presented in front of you may not have a substantial amount of underlying layers of meaning. For Tokyo-based artist Ei Kaneko, his work is currently centered around the idea that the images are “nothing more, nothing less.” Though the artist wants his audience to enjoy the illustrations as they are, the graphic images are given depth by differing textures in order to clearly show that they weren’t simply a product of digital manipulation . “I wanted to convey a sense of time and physical present, with all the effort I put into creating a simple image that could’ve easily been printed out with the press of a button,” Kaneko said. Using graphite pencils on paper, the appearance of collages are merely an illusion as these pieces are all flat images. However, collaged works have been a source of inspiration for Kaneko who has been intrigued by the multitude of images combined into one with different sources, mediums, and textures. The fragmented images and the reassembled facial features give way to tones of Surrealism within Kaneko’s images. “I try to capture that fine line between abstraction and concrete. I like to call that the void, or glitch.” As the images are centered around the human figure and face, the abstract “void” can be inferred as a loss of identity within the being represented. The ethereal quality that comes from the strict use of the graphite medium combined with the awkwardness of the fragmented elements give way to beautifully detailed illustrations. As intentional as the confusion may be when first viewing the work, the soft quality of the toned down images allows one to take solace in the distortion of Kaneko’s creations.
