Kei Imazu's warped oil paintings reimagine classical portraiture

The movement and fluidity in Tokyo-based Kei Imazu’s paintings is wonderful and heightened by the flurry of soft hues the artist has used. Despite working with oils, the warping Kei has added feels almost digital as though her canvases are screens melting under the weight of the paint. But there’s a smoothness and elegance to her smears that take it beyond the glitchy. Un-smudged Kei draws on classical imagery and regal-looking figures grouped together but I love how she unravels the formality of portraiture with her swooping blemishes.