Graphic artist Typon creates rigorous works that are rich in rhythm and character

Ikuo Ueda, known under the moniker Typon, is a Japanese graphic artist who champions, explores and progresses the movements of Constructivism and the Bauhaus. “My work embodies the concept of a nostalgic future, where the past and the future blend seamlessly into the present moment,” Ikuo says. This interplay – and at times conflict – of visual tone and movement manifests in the contrast between graphic form and texture; expressive digital shapes use a scanned paper texture as their foundation. This, in part, is a manifestation of Ikuo’s interests. “I’m influenced by everything I feel through music and nature,” Ikuo explains. “When I’m creating artwork, I often listen to older tracks by Ryuichi Sakamoto.” As such, Typon’s body of work – iteratively categorised under ‘versions’ – is spiky and enticing, dancing with form, contrast and character. Through Ikuo’s use of space and shape, the artist forges static scenes rich in rhythm that are as satisfying as they are rigorously formed.

Ikuo’s work often has an emotive tone behind it, and approach utilised by the artist as a means of unfiltered expression. “No matter how I feel, I always express myself without hesitation,” Ikuo says. He organically and intuitively arranging shapes to elicit an earnest, human reaction. The sentimental and poetic underpinning of Typon’s practice is playfully at odds with itself at a fundamental level. Blooming with contrast, not only is there a juxtaposition between digital shape and analogue texture on a surface level, but a thematic contrast. Typon confidently opts for an anonymous digital tool to express profoundly personal feelings. “I use Adobe Illustrator because it suits my preference for linear expressions,” Ikuo ends. “Plus, I’ve always enjoyed the tactile feeling of moving a mouse.”