Toru Yoshikawa "Phantom Pain"

I wanted to create paintings that are anything but contemporary—deliberately outdated and painterly. Think of the earthy palette of 19th-century Romanticism, colors like Umbrian soil, applied without smoothing out the brushstrokes. I aimed to avoid the gaps born from self-censorship or ego—those hesitations meant to accommodate the viewer or flatter the self. Instead, I chose to work on paper, a medium that offers no second chances.

As I continued to paint—almost fleeing from the countless ghosts of past masters that kept rising to the surface—something unexpected began to emerge. The image took on a life of its own, unfamiliar to even me. It began to feel like the strongest form of resistance I could offer in this moment.

The technique I used for this body of work is monotype: a deceptively simple process in which an image painted on a plate is transferred to paper. Though classified as printmaking, each piece is one of a kind—incapable of being reproduced in multiples. Because of this, monotypes are often called "paintings passed through a press" or even "a painter's print."

Toru Yoshikawa

Born in 1964 in Kawasaki, Japan.

Graduated with a BFA in Painting from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), Portland, USA.

After returning to Japan, worked as a graphic designer. Since 2000, has participated in art projects, live events, and workshops with the UK-based creative collective tomato/underworld.

He continues to work across creative direction and coordination for international projects, while increasingly focusing on his personal artistic practice in recent years.