Colour as a Shadow 2005

Katsuhito Nishikawa made this piece, titled Colour as a Shadow, with what looks like paint or dye on some kind of reflective or translucent surface. It’s all about how color can shift and breathe, rather than being static or fixed. Look at how the green changes, getting lighter and more luminous towards the left. It reminds me of those color field paintings, where the whole canvas becomes a space for exploring the subtle changes in tone and hue. Up close, you can see the texture, almost like the paint has been poured and allowed to settle, creating this smooth, almost glassy surface. It’s not about brushstrokes or gestures, but about letting the material do its thing. This approach reminds me a bit of Josef Albers' work on color relationships, where he would explore how different colors interact and affect each other. But with Nishikawa, there’s an added layer of ephemerality, it’s as if the color is there one moment and could vanish the next. This piece is an invitation to slow down, to really look, and to let color wash over you.