Dorothy Circus Gallery is pleased to present “Even a Doll Can Do It” ,a brand new body of work by Japanese artist Kazuki Takamatsu, who had his first successful solo show with Dorothy Circus Gallery “ Because I am a Doll”, back in 2013.

“Even a Doll Can Do it” new series features fifteen Takamatsu's powerful depth mapping paintings: once again half dolls female bodies are floating in a private universe coming out from black and white color declinations.

The artist has his precise understanding and his own sensitivity concerning the Japanese young girl's mood, thoughts and feelings, bringing to life young subjects who carry both the power of Japanese technological development and the sad awareness of earthquake, tsunami and Japan’s high suicide rate.

Using countless transparent layers of gouache and acrylics he creates works that have a dominating presence, and spectacular impact, evoking otherworldly spiritual icons able to fully immerge the viewers in the energy found in a metaphorical dance of emphasized juxtapositions.

Takamatsu's monochromatic palette underlines the good and the evil, and the “distance where there is no light and shadow”, and so he gives at his digital souls a real sense of surrealistic absence of gravity and breathtaking depth, where every feeling seems to be surrounded by its echo.

The artist merges popular punk rock culture with the roots of Japanese traditional beliefs, as we can see in his teasing Xray lighted school girls showing up guns while as defenders of the five great elements are wearing an “heavenly aura” upon their heads.

Takamatsu holograph-like effect is executed entirely by hand, with meticulous technique. His figures, emerging from ground, fire, air and water, seem to move into an intimate room constantly dominated by a strong sense of hope and infinite rebirth of sorrow.

During the long awaited and much attended second solo with his italian Gallery, Takamatsu, who is in attendance from Japan, will present and sign his first monograph book and limited edition curated by Dorothy Circus Gallery and published by the italian Publisher Drago.

At the opening the Gallery, together with the publisher, will take the chance to present as well “The Doors of Perception”, the 3rd volume of the Dorothy Circus Gallery trilogy featuring a beautiful Kazuki Takamatsu cover and the listed exhibitions inside: “Daphne Descends” – Alessia Iannetti, “13th Fortune” - Paolo Guido, “God is Her Deejay” – Sas & Colin Christian, Afarin Sajedi, Francesca R. Di Nunzio, “White Elegy” - Kwon Kyungyup, “Because I'm a Doll” - Kazuki Takamatsu, “Hide & Seek” - Natalie Shau, “Lacrima Aquarium” – group exhibition, and focus on Chris Berens, “The Silent Circus” - Clementine de Chabaneix, “The Trouble with Angels” - Ray Caesar.

Kazuki Takamatsu was born in Japan, a country known as much for its picturesque landscapes as for its high rate of suicide, a duality that contributes to the beautiful sadness that permeates his work. He attended the Department of Oil Painting at Tohoku University of Art & Design and graduated in 2001.

Takamatsu currently lives and works in Sendai, which was devastated by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami back in 2011. The event can still be felt in Takamatsu’s work which mixes memories of sorrow with a deep sense of hope and spiritual positiveness in a spiral of emotions.

Takamatsu’s depth-mapping technique is as unique as it is painstakingly intricate, the artist mixes traditional and modern techniques by fusing classic drawing, airbrush and gouache painting with computer graphics.

Takamatsu's creative process begins with Shadow/Depth mapping, a sort of projective shadowing process by which shadows are added to 3D computer graphics used both in pre-rendered scenes, in realtime and many console and high-end PC games. Hand painted mono-chromed based objects are obtained using the method of mixing water color pigment with an opaque white pigment in a water color vehicle (made with gum arabic). It is traditionally referred to Gouache, a name coming from the Italian Guazzo, literally meaning mud. Gouache is ideal for illustration and photo-reproduction.

Since the Gouache paint imparts most of the texture and these surfaces help to create a perfectly flat paint film on, Gouache paintings are typically done on hot pressed papers or smooth art boards.

Takamatsu holograph-like effect is executed entirely by hand, using a meticulous technique in which every pixel on the object is a shade of grey that is proportional to its distance from the object looking at it. The match of these two techniques give a real sense of surrealism and astonishing depth.

Since 2009 Takamatsu has been collaborating with the Tokyo-based Gallery Tomura, with which he took part at Tokyo Art Fair and Art Asia Miami during Scope Art Fair. His art was also exhibited at Rias Ark Museum in Kesennuma – Miyagi. Takamatsu had also extremely successful solo and group exhibitions in USA-based established art galleries such as Roq La Rue in Seattle and Corey Helford in Los Angeles. With the Italy-based Dorothy Circus Gallery he’s having the second solo exhibition (2013 and 2015) and he was featured in the institutional exhibition “Lacrima Aquarium” (2013) which took place at the Aquarium Museum - Casa dell'Architettura in Rome. On 2014 he conquered the Cover of the Hi Fructose magazine.