Yukio Kevin Iraha

Arts and crafts were among of Yukio, or most people know him as Kevin's hobbies while growing up in Japan. An early influence on him was the genre of comic books, especially he loved Osamu Tezuka's early works like "Metropolis", Machiko Hasegawa's four panel comic strips. Starting out to become a cartoonist, his interests widened to a fuller scope of art. In college, he started to appreciate the traditions and history of art both from eastern and western cultures. In one of his series he tries to depict life of the1900s and juxtapose those images with a more contemporary look. His primary medium is acrylic paint; however he has incorporated some unorthodox objects such as antique pieces of wood and paper to give his work an aged look. He says, “I’m interested in images that bring out emotional responses. Whatever the feedback, I enjoy creating art that gives viewers a lasting impression. Whether the content is specific or abstract, certain visual compositions can create an intense harmony between viewers and images. That harmony can go far beyond this dimension and transcends logic.”