Myriads of glowing dots wavering in the darkness — one might feel as if she could visually sense the air moving, or as if she was immersed in the endless conversation with a formless matter whose meanings constantly emerge and disappear. Yasuaki Onishi, a young artist in Osaka, has explored the fascinating interplay of darkness, fluorescence, and shapes through his works using lo-tech materials: fluorescent paint, paper, knitting wool, plastic bags, fans, black light, etc.

[restriction sight 3 by yasuaki onishi]

What Onishi intends to create is “something that restricts visitors’ visual perception and thereby stimulate their imagination.” When he was making an iron sculpture in college, he took artistic photographs of sparks made by a grinder. Then, he went on to explore the potential of light in flat surfaces and 3D spaces.

[restriction sight – drawing rain- by yasuaki onishi]

It was a couple of years ago when he first made animated 3D forms using black light and fluorescent paint. Actually, one may not call them 3D forms: they occupy 3D spaces, however, don’t have clearly perceptible shapes.

His works were featured at several exhibitions in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo last year, including “Art Exhibition Daft Punkism” where three people showed different art works inspired by Daft Punk album “Robot Rock.”

Related website:
Digital Stadium
INAX Culture
Sfera exhibition

thanks, regine!