Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1987, Tamura is a self-taught artist having held various forms of exhibitions in Tokyo, Taipei, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, and Bangkok last year. The artist’s low-resolution creative style can be traced back to Pixel Art in the 1970s, when low-resolution graphics made up most of the animations and games at the time. Created by the digital language, these graphics formed a connection with video game and street cultures as Pixel Art evolved to become an important branch of contemporary art. Tamura believes the low-resolution style gives artworks more flexibility. Since viewers cannot identify characters’ emotions in low-resolution images, they are more likely to project their own ideas and emotions into them. When the resolution increases, these characters become differentiated entities that can no longer “mirror” viewers. This identification as “other entities” is what confines the space for imagination. That is why low-resolution graphics can create more possibilities by removing existing visual impressions. Through his creations, Tamura aims to explore the process of life as well as unique subject-object emotions, hoping for his artworks to evoke different feelings and ideas among viewers.

The “You & I” series features a composition of two side-by-side characters holding hands with each other. Colored in gold and pink respectively, the characters are implied to be distinct entities. The smudged color gradients in the background symbolize intimate connections between the two characters. “The hand-holding posture represents mutual acceptance.” This composition and color choice serve a greater purpose than artistic arrangement, as they also signify the artist’s in-depth exploration and interpretation of interpersonal relationships. The intended blurriness also gives the artwork a neutral expression that enables viewers to feel emotional connections in a direct, explicit way beyond language expressions.

Inspired by classical portrait paintings, the oil painting series in this exhibition are expressed through the artist’s unique creative vocabulary and style. The low-resolution creative method gives the characters a sense of anonymity, vaguely revealing their identities as an adult and a child. The calm colors illustrate the traditional elegance of portrait paintings. Back in the days before cameras were invented, the theme and content of portrait paintings were highly personal interpretations of collectors’ self-values and identities. The artist hopes to convey this positive sentiment to every viewer.

As Tamura once described, he currently aspires to create paintings for viewers to project their past personal experiences into.” The digital avatars in the paintings are not simple byte combinations, but rather characters that carry everyone’s internal emotions and experiences. Tamura hopes that viewers can find their own stories in his paintings and form emotional connections with them. This personalized experience gives his artworks a profound meaning that resonates with viewers psychologically.