what’s good
Settling into a routine with the fall semester starting has been nice, and I’ve been able to both dedicate some real time to studio work as well as experiencing the breadth of the west end’s art offerings.
Naomi Okubo, The Enclosed Realm, 2026. Acrylic, coloured pencil on raw canvas, 51.2 x 76.3 in
Most recently, I took in the mind-blowing work of Naomi Okubo at Gallery 1888. This show was further proof that I’m not alone in my interest in combining modes of working and challenging some mainline painting traditions to tell stories. Naomi’s work synthesized an obvious talent for traditional figurative rendering with borderline impressionistic environmental painting and bold graphic architectural elements. A love of textile and pattern was apparent as well, in the lovingly and painstakingly realized decorative elements at work on the garments of the figures and the myriad wallpapers and upholstery adorning the spaces the figures lived in.
Naomi Okubo, Collector- Minerals, 2026. Acrylic on raw canvas, 25.7 x 20.9 in
The incredible attention to detail and the picture in picture technique for the images the figures are gazing at created a clear sense of connection as I mirrored their efforts to take in every object on the wall, both in the physical space and within the edge-to-edge richness of the paintings.
Gallery 1888 has been delighting me with a steady line-up of artists working in what I see as a similar thread; from the vibrant geometric/figurative dream spaces of Michael Slusakowicz to the richly patterned and textural portraits of Robert Mugabe. Curation and roster right up my alley!
I’ve been enjoying the new Hether record, Return of Earslime. Hether’s 2023 album, Covered in Hether, got a nauseating amount of play in the studio after an introduction by the one and only Kagan Mcleod, the figure drawing selecta. It’s moody and full of grooves, with a distinctly vintage cinematic vibe; perfect for late nights in the lab painting and going down esoteric tumblr rabbit holes.
Kotaro Maruyama’s Vapor Curve has also seen a lot of play. Woozy ambient soundscapes are a helpful background for navigating the labyrinth of interfaces and CMS required to get ready for students this week. Check it out if you need to focus up.
In print consumption, I’ve been all over the most recent issue of FUKT. A magazine dedicated to drawing and always guaranteed to be cover to cover bangers, this volume’s theme is sound. Right from the jump the drawings of Christine Odlund grabbed me. The combination of organic and geometric combined to create a visual language that resonated deeply with me. Christine talks about her ‘synaesthetical method’ wherein she fords the gaps between sound, sight, and sense. The work is gorgeous and mesmerizing, and I find myself returning to the pages to get lost in the pathways and repetition of the pieces. The issue also contains - among countless others - some novel mark-making machinery from Julien Gachadoat and Satoshi Tomiie, as well as the always biting and brilliant Christine Sun Kim. You can find the most recent issue here.
FUKT #23 – The Sound Issue.