The Former (2024) Painting by Kadota Mitsumasa

Mitsumasa Kadota’s "The Former" (2024) is a strikingly introspective piece that delves into the interplay of form, texture, and negative space. This recent work by the artist demonstrates a refined, almost sculptural approach to abstraction, where the presence of absence is as significant as the movement of color. Executed in acrylic and carborundum on cotton, the painting possesses a raw, elemental energy—one that suggests erosion, memory, and transformation.
Unlike Kadota’s often vibrant and fluid compositions, "The Former" embraces a more subdued, contemplative palette dominated by white, black, and muted earth tones. The layered application of paint creates a sense of weathered surfaces, as if time itself has left its imprint on the canvas. The introduction of carborundum adds a physicality that reinforces this idea—certain areas of the painting appear to have been worn away, revealing underlying strata of pigment and texture.
This tension between what is concealed and what is revealed gives the work a quiet yet powerful presence. The title, "The Former", suggests something past yet persistent, an echo of what once was, now reinterpreted through the artist’s expressive medium.
Kadota’s works are recognized internationally, with exhibitions at esteemed venues such as Lincoln Center in New York and the Sezon Museum of Modern Art in Japan. His continual evolution as an artist is evident in "The Former", marking a departure from his more color-driven explorations into a more texturally intricate and conceptually layered direction.
This 2024 piece represents a moment of transition in Kadota’s practice—one that embraces restraint while maintaining the intensity of movement and material experimentation for which he is known. The size (130.6 × 80.3 cm) makes it a versatile piece, well-suited for collectors who appreciate both the meditative and the expressive in contemporary abstraction.
In person, "The Former" has an almost geological presence. The thick, textured layers of paint create the impression of natural erosion, as if the composition has been shaped by time and force rather than just the artist’s brush. Swathes of white are broken by moments of deep black and subtle undertones of green, violet, and ochre, creating an understated yet complex interplay of color.
The surface texture, enriched by carborundum, gives the painting a dimensionality that shifts depending on the light. Some areas appear smooth and polished, while others have a raw, fractured quality, reinforcing the work’s engagement with time, memory, and impermanence.
Kadota’s "The Former" is an exceptional work that offers both a contemplative stillness and a dynamic engagement with form and texture. Its nuanced layering of material and meaning makes it a compelling addition to any collection, rewarding viewers with new interpretations over time. A testament to the artist’s ability to capture both presence and absence, this painting invites reflection on what remains and what transforms.