Yukimasa IDA on Painting as a Record of Fleeting Moments

Tokyo-based artist Yukimasa IDA, who earned a Master’s in Oil Painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, discusses his practice rooted in the Japanese concept of Ichi-go Ichi-e—the recognition of a moment as unrepeatable. His work, exhibited internationally with Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in Chicago and Perrotin Gallery in Paris, resists fixed categories, moving between figuration, material experimentation, and sculptural thinking. IDA describes paint as a substance that embodies time, using layers, collage, and thick impasto to leave tactile traces of existence. He chooses colors based on emotional reality rather than visual accuracy, often drawn to red for blood and passion. His series "Now is Gone" and "Here and Now" reflect an evolving understanding of temporality, shifting from a fear of loss to an acceptance of constant change (Panta Rhei). IDA also works in sculpture, influenced by his sculptor father, to capture "presence" rather than "image." Currently, he is focusing on a series called "Naked," which strips away social titles and cultural backgrounds to depict humans as existing beings. Moving to London expanded his perspective from personal pain to broader social structures, aiming to turn personal memory into collective humanity.