Leiko Ikemura first gained international attention in the early 1980s with her expressive and bold style, which linked her to the Neue Wilde movement. She is now renowned for her oil paintings depicting girls in enigmatic, surreal environments and cosmic landscapes inhabited by fantastical hybrid beings. In Japan, she is celebrated as an artist who, through her deep engagement with Western art, developed a heightened appreciation for her cultural heritage, leading to a unique fusion of both Eastern and Western traditions.
Themes such as grappling with the profoundly unfamiliar, experiencing loneliness, and mastering new languages are central to Ikemura's work. These themes also resonate in the writings of Noemi Smolik, an art critic who delves into the history of Eastern European and Russian art.
In this book, Leiko Ikemura and Noemi Smolik explore the historical moments and shared interests that have shaped their diverse lives and careers, touching on topics such as existentialism, the revolution of '68, Russian literature, the interplay between the foreign and the familiar, as well as the tension between collectivism and individuality.
