NKSIN
Perfect portraits of a less-than-perfect world
"These are my raw works full of intense emotions."
When you look at NKSIN’s portraits, it’s clear that he’s a perfectionist. Inspired by '90s American cartoons, he spray-paints actors, musicians and painters – all icons who created the culture of their time. The ultra-stylised black-and-white paintings look almost digital. Every gradient is flawlessly blended. Every edge is perfectly crisp. But despite this alluring sense of cohesion, the portraits represent something much more fractured – society. Growing up in a Japanese Filipino household, NKSIN often felt deeply frustrated that his community didn't embrace his biracial background. His work...
When you look at NKSIN’s portraits, it’s clear that he’s a perfectionist. Inspired by '90s American cartoons, he spray-paints actors, musicians and painters – all icons who created the culture of their time. The ultra-stylised black-and-white paintings look almost digital. Every gradient is flawlessly blended. Every edge is perfectly crisp. But despite this alluring sense of cohesion, the portraits represent something much more fractured – society. Growing up in a Japanese Filipino household, NKSIN often felt deeply frustrated that his community didn't embrace his biracial background. His work uses these personal experiences as a starting point to look at all forms of discrimination in the modern world.
In 2022, the Fukushima earthquake changed NKSIN's approach to life and art forever. In its aftermath, he was forced to face the widespread destruction of his hometown, including his studio where nearly all of his paintings were destroyed. It was an incredibly painful time but NKSIN felt that he had to channel these difficulties into his art. “It has given me new values and inspiration”, he says. “I [now make] better work than before. These are my raw works full of intense emotions.” Like many artists throughout history, NKSIN embraced art to rebuild hope and meaning amidst profound difficulty and despair.
NKSIN (he/him) was born in 1994 in Fukushima, Japan, where he continues to live and work.
Even though NKSIN’s paintings have a very contemporary style, his signature technique comes from the Renaissance painters: Sfumato is a way of blending different tones into each other to create a softened texture.
NKSIN’s artistic inspirations reflect his multicultural upbringing. He is inspired by elements of Japanese subculture from the 1990s and animated films, particularly Amateur Manga Movement and Pixar animations.
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