Teleport to Faraway Places with Aika Takahata
Aika Takahata’s Oasis takes you to a special place - a quiet, sun drenched retreat where you can almost hear the rustling of exotic trees and the splashes of the glittering swimming pool. While the dreamy color palette and evocative nature is intentional, Oasis also points to Aika’s evolution as an artist and a woman.
“In the beginning of the process of Oasis, I wanted to express the mixed feelings of immorality, exhilaration, and fun that I had when I was at parties during my college years. Later though, I became much more focused on ‘us’ as a group of independent, lighthearted, and carefree women.”
Based out of Osaka, Japan and starting off her career working in local art galleries after college, Aika spent several years finding herself and coming into her own style. “I tried many different techniques and motifs but couldn’t find one that really fit me and what I wanted to express. After I left my job at the gallery and started to paint more on my own, I started to see progress alongside receiving small awards and holding solo exhibitions.” This experience led Aika to her signature style of today. Painting primarily with acrylic gouache, Aika creates scenes and landscapes that are bright, dreamy, and sometimes even a little strange. “I’m inspired by films, especially ones that were directed by Tarantino and Sofia Coppola. Their stories can be shocking, but the colors and ambience are always fantastic. My artwork is often inspired by Spanish and Italian gardens and nature. I have a tendency to include motifs of colorful flowers and swimming pools in my work.”
"The style of my art has definitely been influenced by my travels and changed after coming back from these places. My new work that’s evolved since my travels has been more well received than ever, so I genuinely think that traveling around the world is a particularly good thing for me.
In a pre-pandemic life, Aika was inspired by faraway travels and is looking forward to getting back out into different parts of the world. “My most favorite travel destinations are Venice and Florence. Those entire cities are like a museum; I admire the way the art is spread out throughout the city as a normal part of daily life and the way people respect these works. The style of my art has definitely been influenced by my travels and changed after coming back from these places. My new work that’s evolved since my travels has been more well received than ever, so I genuinely think that traveling around the world is a particularly good thing for me.”
“As an illustrator, I want to evolve as an artist that creates nice paintings and start to make underlying statements at the same time.” Aika’s theme for more recent work is women existing “simply as humans,” feeling a freedom in the independence of spending time at will while linking together to share time and space. The leopard print motif seen throughout the painting depicts this sense of freedom. “The women in Oasis exist as human beings and spend their time as they like, which is my ideal daily lifestyle.”
Discover a sense of freedom, warmth, and tranquility in Oasis.
View Aika's portfolio of work on her website or on her Instagram.
