The aesthetics of the younger generation, particularly in Asian popular culture, is often characterised by brightly coloured images, changing visual effects with a penchant for fantasy found in animation and comic books. Once a graphic designer, Japanese artist Hiroyuki Matsuura later decided to devote himself to fine art out of a natural desire to create works based solely on his own ideas. His art is known for animation forms, colourfulness and a touch of dark humour. Using 'characters' as his subject, he imbues storytelling into his paintings while, by only partially showing the subject in terms of composition, to allow the viewer freely roam in boundless imagination. Like animation or virtual fantasies, MATSUURA believes his 'characters' are a visual image that transcends language and can be understood universally by adults, children, men and women.
