OVERVIEW

Keita Morimoto(born 1990, Osaka, Japan)immigrated to Canada in 2006, earned his BFA from OCAD University in 2012, and returned to Japan in 2021. Now based in Tokyo, Japan.Morimoto is a Japanese artist renowned for his cityscapes and portraits. Morimoto engages deeply with the techniques and themes of Baroque lighting, early 20th-century American Realism, and pre-modern Genre Painting. By referencing these historical movements, he reimagines contemporary urban life, transforming ordinary streets into extraordinary narratives. Through the symbolic use of light, he merges its sacred and natural connotations with the stark realities of consumerism and industrial culture, creating works that resonate with both historical depth and modern complexity. In 2025, Morimoto held a solo exhibition, ‘what has escaped us,’ at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada, K11 Musea, Powerlong Art Museum, Art Gallery of Peterborough, The Power Plant, and Fort Wayne Museum of Art. His pieces are part of the permanent collections at Shiga Museum of Art, Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Arts Maebashi, High Museum of Art, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, and ICA Miami.

HISTORY

2026
‘what we told ourselves’, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan
2025
‘Quiet Light’, Kunsthal n, Copenhagen, Denmark
‘what has escaped us’, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
‘To Nowhere and Back’, Almine Rech, New York, USA
2024
‘KEITA MORIMOTO Illuminated Solitude’, GINZA TSUTAYA BOOKS, Tokyo, Japan
‘FADING MOMENTS’, Long Story Short Paris, Paris, France
‘WORK IN PROGRESS’, anonymous collection, Tokyo, Japan
2023
‘as we didn’t know it’, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘A Little Closer’, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan
2022
‘In Between Shadows’, ATM Gallery, New York, USA
‘Contrasting Memories’, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2021
‘After Dark’, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan
2020
‘Garden of Lights’, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2018
‘Light Passage’, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2016
‘Strange Guild’, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2014
‘Oasis’, Galerie Youn, Montreal, Canada
‘The Nightwatchers’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada

2025
‘Stories of Your Lives’, curated by Artuner, Galerie Max Hetzler,
Berlin, Germany
2024
’36 PAINTINGS’, Harper’s East Hampton, New York, USA
2023
‘Focal Point 2’, LONG STORY SHORT NYC, New York, USA
‘Stories After Extinction’, MtK Contemporary Art, Kyoto, Japan
‘Quiet Storm’, LONG STORY SHORT PARIS, Paris, France
‘The Midnight Hour’, The Hole, New York, USA
‘Dieci’, ARTUNER, Palazzo Coardi di Carpeneto, Turin, Italy
‘The Descendants’, K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong
2022
‘Crossing’, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan
‘Under Current’, Powerlong Museum, Shanghai, China
‘Seasons in the City’, Palazzo Capris by Artuner, Turin, Italy
‘What It Could Be’, Theaster Gates Stony Island Arts Bank,Chicago, USA
‘Escape From New York’, Another Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Romancing Relevance’, WOAW Gallery, Hong Kong
2018
‘These things I have seen’, Art Gallery of Peterborough,
Peterborough, Canada

Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga, Japan
Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Kyoto, Japan
Arts Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA
Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts, United States
Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Torino, Italy
Urban Nation Museum, Berlin, Germany
Bell Trinity Square Permanent Public Installation, Canada
Infor Financial Group, Toronto, Canada
Ninepoint Partners LP, Toronto, Canada
Stikeman Elliot LLP, Toronto, Canada
Loyalty One, Canada
The Bora Family Collection, Turkey

”After Dark”, 2021, Acrylic & Oil on Linen over Panel, Triptych: Each panel: 227.3 x 162.0 cm

WORKS

NEWS

Keita Morimoto’s latest work "Murmurs Beneath", created for “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th,” will be exhibited at Omotesando Hills

KOTARO NUKAGA is pleased to announce that a new work by Keita Morimoto, Murmurs Beneath, specially commissioned for “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th”—will be exhibited at Omotesando Hills, Main Building 1F Main Entrance, from May 1 to 31, 2026.  Marking the 20th anniversary of its opening, the year 2026 sees Omotesando Hills launch its commemorating project “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th,” will be openwith music producer and

Keita Morimoto Creates Anniversary Visuals for “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th”

Keita Morimoto has newly created the anniversary visuals for Omotesando Hills’ commemorative project, “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th.”  Marking the 20th anniversary of Omotesando Hills’ opening, the year 2026 will see the launch of the “OMOTESANDO HILLS 20th” anniversary program under the total creative direction by Hiroshi Fujiwara—music producer and founder of fragment design—as Creative Director.  Morimoto, known for depicting urban landscapes in

Tomona Matsukawa and Keita Morimoto’s artwork to be collected in Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art

KOTARO NUKAGA is pleased to announce that But it’s something I can only do now.,  by Tomona Matsukawa and Forgotten Paths by Keita Morimoto will be collected by Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.    Matsukawa’s distinctive realistic and somewhat dramatic paintings are born from interviews with other women of her generation and the titles and motifs are picked from the phrases that strook her during the conversations. Retaining her interest

KOTARO NUKAGA to participate in 'Art Basel Hong Kong 2026'

KOTARO NUKAGA is pleased to announce its participation in Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, taking place from March 27 to 29. Over the past several editions of Art Basel Hong Kong, KOTARO NUKAGA has sought to build a discursive framework that connects modern Japanese art, postwar practices, and contemporary art. At this year’s fair, we will present

Keita Morimoto 'what we told ourselves'

KOTARO NUKAGA Tennoz is pleased to present ‘what we told ourselves‘, a solo exhibition by Keita Morimoto, from January 17 – March 7, 2026. Keita Morimoto has continuously referenced baroque paintings and early 20th-century American realism in his work, depicting artificial sources of illumination, such as streetlights, neon signs, and the glow from a vending machine in

Keita Morimoto will present new limited edition prints with AVANT ARTE

Limited edition prints by Keita Morimoto, Jewel Box and Evening Embers, will be available exclusively through AVANT ARTE for 48 hours from 19:00(JST)on December 9, 2025.   Through the symbolic use of light, Morimoto merges its sacred and natural connotations with the stark realities of consumerism, creating works that resonate with both historical depth and modern complexity.  Evening Embers, one of the

Keita Morimoto's solo exhibition ‘Quiet Light’ will be held at Kunsthal n in Copenhagen, Denmark

Keita Morimoto’s solo exhibition ‘Quiet Light’ will be held at Kunsthal n in Copenhagen, Denmark from August 27, 2025 – January 15, 2026. Keita Morimoto paints the small stories of the big city—people who appear and disappear in the same breath, caught in the flickering light of vending machines and shop windows. At first glance,

KOTARO NUKAGA to participate in 'Tokyo Gendai 2025'

KOTARO NUKAGA is pleased to announce our participation in ‘Tokyo Gendai 2025’, an international art fair held in PACIFICO Yokohama, Japan from September 12 to 14. KOTARO NUKAGA will showcase works by twelve internationally diverse artists, including Tomokazu Matsuyama and Rember Yahuarcani. Featuring a dynamic range of practices across painting and glass art. And also

Keita Morimoto's solo exhibition ‘Aperto 19: MORIMOTO Keita what has escaped us’ × BEAUTY & YOUTH UNITED ARROWS launch limited collaborative collection

Keita Morimoto’s solo exhibition ‘Aperto 19: MORIMOTO Keita what has escaped us’ × BEAUTY & YOUTH UNITED ARROWS  launch limited collaborative collection. The collection, which includes five items – T-shirt, bag, cap, umbrella, and magnet – will be available at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa  Museum Shop starting August 10, 2025. For more

Keita Morimoto will participate in ‘Three Hot Springs of Mimasaka Art Temperature 2025’

Keita Morimoto will participate in ‘Three Hot Springs of Mimasaka Art Temperature 2025’ from August 29 to December 7, 2025. The ‘Three hot springs of Mimasaka Art temperature’ is a once-every-three-years art event that takes place in Yunogo, Okutsu, and Yubara hot springs in the Mimasaka region of northern Okayama Prefecture. For the forth time