Born in Sakaide City, Japan, Yokoteen is a self-taught oil painter currently living and working in Tokyo. Since 2015, his “Friends in Paradise” series has depicted signature characters amidst slow- paced coastal Americana. Though recently, Yokoteen has narrowed this series to the tranquility of the sea, painting a humanoid cat in the various stages of surfing. Giovanni, the cat, embodies the duality of the sport, both ripping through perfect barrels and introspectively waiting for said waves.

As his style has matured over the years, you can see it simplify in aesthetics and virtue, focusing on specific feelings as opposed to representation. The active surfing paintings supplant accurate water physics for the intensity of speed, using repetitive and plastic waves to imply absolute clarity. Mirroring the action are the pensive paintings where Giovanni bathes in a vast sea, glistening in the refraction of a crisp sky blue. These paintings focus just as much on the scene as on the eyes, giving a window to the serenity of an open ocean and an empty mind. Yokoteen has recently exhibited in London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, in solo shows, group exhibitions, and art fairs.

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