Green Room (2025),acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 194 x 3 centimeters. Photos by Shin Inaba, courtesy of Keita Morimoto and Almine Rech, shared with permissionKeita Morimoto Lingers in the Artificial Light of Urban NightsMarch 12, 2025ArtGrace EbertCities are constantly in flux, but Keita Morimoto (previously) invites us to linger in their transitions a little longer. The artist renders corner stores, vending machines, and lampposts that illuminate spaces that might otherwise go unnoticed. Either unoccupied or inhabited by just one or two people, Morimotos scenes are dimly lit but not eerie and invoke the environments most of us engage with for just a moment.The anonymous, liminal spaces in my paintings echo the feeling of never fully belonging, Morimoto says in a statement. Im drawn to the way emotions can transform a familiar setting into something entirely different, revealing deeper truths about the human experience.Crossroad (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 130 x 3 centimetersIn a new body of work titled To Nowhere and Back, the artist continues his explorations into the interplay of light and shadow. Drawing on the sights of New York City and Tokyo, he considers how we find connection in a world thats constantly changing. He shares:My work reflects a lifetime of navigating conflict, loneliness, and the desire to escape within urban environments. When I moved from Osaka to Canada at 16, I experienced a profound sense of isolation, as though severed from everything familiar. Over time, some connections emerged, but it was always accompanied by subtle discomfort. Returning to Japan in 2021 brought a similar disorientationmoments wheneven my birthplace felt unfamiliar, as if reality itself had shifted.Rather than translate streets hes wandered down directly onto the canvas, Morimoto paints with a cinematic quality. This pulls the viewer from the familiar and makes even the most ordinary sidewalk appear intriguing. Zeroing in on light sources further supports this vision, and artificial bulbs become beacons amid scenes shrouded in darkness. The artist considers how these machines create a robotic harmony in Japanese urban life and paints them as characters in their own right.To Nowhere and Back runs from March 14 to April 26 at Almine Rech in Tribeca. Find more from Morimoto on Instagram.Last Call (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 116.7 x 91 x 2.8 centimetersEvening Embers (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 130.3 x 3 centimetersForgotten Path (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 259 x 4 centimeters. Photo by Osamu SakamotoWaiting Hour (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 116.7 x 91 x 2.8 centimetersNo Destination (2025), acrylic on panel, 27.3 x 22 x 2 centimetersEvening Embers (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 130 x 3 centimetersStairs to Nowhere (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 130 x 3 centimetersThe Way Back (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 162 x 194 x 3 centimetersMissed Calls (2025), acrylic and oil on linen, 145.5 x 112 x 3 centimetersGathering (2025), acrylic on panel, 27.3 x 22 x 2 centimetersNext article