Takuya Otsuki sketches landscapes and objects, and copies old Japanese paintings, arranging the forms he obtains from these drawings on the canvas in soft colors to create space. In the process of repeated acts of imitation, such as transcribing the forms and lines, the detailed information of each object is reduced, and the objects are arranged on the canvas as simplified symbol-like figures. The images thus arranged define the space within the painting, and at the same time, the images themselves are transformed by the influence of the space and other collocated images.

Otsuki examines the relationship between image and space in painting through the creation of spaces that have gaps that could only exist on a flat surface, resulting from such interaction.


Takuya Otsuki was born in Nara, Japan in 1989, graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts in 2020 with a Master's degree in Japanese Painting and is currently based in Osaka.

He was awarded the Shell Art Award Special Student Prize in 2019 and has been selected for other art awards in Japan. Major exhibitions include "Kyogei transmit program 2021" (Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA, Kyoto) and "POP UP @KCUA" (Horikawa New Culture Building, Kyoto) in 2022.

While working as an individual artist, he also formed the band "Bo-dachi" in 2015 with Shu Okamoto and Yudai Kitaura, also artists, for experimental live performances and exhibitions. Major presentations include “Bo-dachi’s Ending Live” in 2021 (Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @ KCUA, Kyoto, online) and "Bo-dachi Live Tour" in 2019 (Maibara City Samegai Inn Museum, Shiga).