Telephone 1987

Hiro Yamagata made this… well, I’m not sure exactly when or with what, but look at how he’s built up this little street scene. There's this kind of naive charm to the way he handles perspective and color. It’s like he’s not trying to fool us with realism, but instead wants to share a memory, a feeling, or a dream. The colors are so playful, right? And there’s this quality to the surface—it's not just flat paint. You can see the textures, the little bumps and grooves that give it depth. I love the way he suggests the rain reflecting the city lights. See how each color seems to vibrate with its own energy? Yamagata reminds me a bit of Red Grooms, with that same love for bringing urban spaces to life in a whimsical, almost cartoonish way. And like Grooms, he’s not afraid to let his personality shine through every brushstroke. It’s all about the joy of making and the pleasure of seeing, isn't it?