Kouta Sasai

Kouta Sasai is a Japanese painter, who lives in Nara, where as a young boy he was captured by the energy of the ancient "Unkei" wood carvings, figures of sacred warriors in the Shin-Yakushi temple. He learned his craft under the tutelage of artist / teacher Hiroshi Noda.

What is remarkable about Sasai's work is that the distracting appeal of technique or capturing the "beautiful" tends not to distract him from his main focus, which is more concerned with a more ascetic encounter. with existence. There seems to be a very patient and pure focus in his work as he seeks to evoke a deeper essence of what he sees in front of him.

Sasai works in the calm atmosphere of a traditional Japanese wooden studio on Miyajima Island, near Hiroshima, where, at quieter times, wild deer are seen roaming the streets of his village. While using Japanese subjects, Sasai's work is expressed through a highly accomplished westernized painting technique with an expressive flair and an eye for richness of color.