Masanori Ushiki – Visitors
Visitors is an ongoing series of portrait characters by Japanese artist and cult figure, Masanori Ushiki.
Born on his Instagram timeline on August 13th 2016, Ushiki has been introducing a new character once a day, every day since. From sci-fi creatures to beautiful girls, Ushiki’s Visitors pay tribute to the many expressions and characters the artist met throughout his youth and are as expressive as they are electrifying.
To this day, Ushiki’s otherworldly beings continue to ‘visit’ his followers, bringing with them humour, surprise and sarcasm as well as coining the title of the series. Ushiki’s work creates a third narrative by combining the delicate linework of traditional woodblock prints with modern elements of anime in a homage to his Japanese upbringing.
Much like his contemporaries, Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami, Ushiki’s aesthetic centres around diverse themes of childhood and mainstream media, referencing familiar hallmarks from popular culture with art that resonate with our collective consciousness.
I spend roughly 30 minutes to an hour each day sketching impromptu, an anime character or superhero that inspired me as a kid. I then digitise this expression to convey the spontaneous energy that went into it.
Ushiki’s sophisticated linework and monochrome palette captures the preposterous with elegance, rendering the unimaginable into existence with conviction. Each visual expression, ranging from the humorous to the fashion-inclined, is tailored to the times and media of today.
Since the conception of his ever-growing series, the Visitors have evolved into the real world in his latest publication of the same name. The Visitors’ book renders the characters from Ushiki’s Instagram feed tangible, allowing us to hold, engage and meet his creatures in person.
In his debut European exhibition, Pocko gallery will be home to Ushiki’s characters throughout the summer and copies of his latest book, Visitors will be available to purchase at the exhibition.
My creations run the gamut from fictional and sci-fi characters to beautiful girls and figures that you swear might really exist out there.