Tokonatu Colour (Tokonatu meaning ‘everlasting summer’) is Abiru Katunori’s first exhibition outside of Japan.

“All my works have a common theme: summer. For me who is conscious of summer throughout the year, I can feel the summer that remains in the corner of everyday life even in the coldest season. I draw the work by capturing the summer that exists in everything. There are things that I use to draw summer: beetles, stag beetles and drone beetles that are symbolic of summer. I borrow their form and portray this world as a kind of summer language.”

– Abiru Katunori

Originally scheduled for April 2020 but postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the following five paintings are currently on display in our gallery window. We highly recommend viewing the paintings in person if possible to fully appreciate the intricate detail of Abiru’s work. The gallery is currently closed to the public but the paintings can be viewed from the street outside and the window is lit at night.

Further images and details about each painting appear below the first slideshow – click on individual images to enlarge.

For sales enquiries please contact or call 01273 607101.

Many Summer

Many Summer (2019)
Cloud-skin hemp paper on wooden panel
Mineral pigments with plant glue, silver leaf and gold leaf
30 x 45cm
£1,940

Memories I Don’t Know

Memories I Don’t Know (2018)
Cloud-skin hemp paper on wooden panel
Mineral pigments with plant glue
34 x 41 cm
£1,300

Tropical Castle

Tropical Castle (2015)
Cloud-skin hemp paper on wooden panel
Mineral pigments with plant glue and gold leaf
81 x 110 cm
£3,560

Go To The Mountains

Go To The Mountains (2018)
Cloud-skin hemp paper on wooden panel
Mineral pigments with plant glue, silver leaf and gold leaf
45 x 61 cm
£2,590

Mountain Lodge Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge Mountain Lodge (2015)
Cloud-skin hemp paper on wooden panel
Mineral pigments with plant glue
26 x 36 cm
£970

For sales enquiries please contact or call 01273 607101.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Abiru Katunori is a Japanese painter who was born and lives in Tokyo. He has been interested in small creatures since childhood, inspired by the mysterious appearance of insects. The summer in Japan has high humidity, Abiru feels emotions in the humidity and is fascinated by the power of the air in the summer. He admires the nature of a place a little to the east of Tokyo where he grew up. He painted many Japanese paintings during his art school days, and his unique worldview has been recognized as particularly individual, even for Japanese people with the same view of nature and death. Abiru’s works include his emotions, memories of his family, and are reminiscent of his journeys through the summer observing insects in Japan.

In the world where digital media and digital tools are dominant, looking for new expressions and the traditional hand-drawn lineage of Japanese painting using brush and rock paint, Abiru’s work tries to express the potential of opening new doors for the Japanese people and Japanese culture in the future. His work depicts many aspects of Japan, such as buildings, urban spaces, and scenery, and the bird’s-eye view of the composition can be seen as a scroll depicting modern day Japan. He continues to create paintings that condenses the aesthetics he wants to preserve in the future of Japan.

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Image credits: all artwork by Abiru Katunori, photography by Vic McCaffrey (excluding images of handwritten labels)