“現在から過去、中心への流れ | from present to past, the flow to the center,” 2025. (©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
Many sources of inspiration weave through Aya Takano’s practice. Even the most casual viewer can recognize the artist’s superflat aesthetic, manifesting as manga-like illustrations that prize two-dimensionality, playful graphics, and vibrant color palettes. That style is to be expected—after all, Takano studied under and still works with Takashi Murakami, who popularized the movement with his own art. What may be less expected, but no less influential, is Takano’s fascination with ecology. Now, the artist’s latest solo exhibition at Perrotin offers an intimate glimpse into her diverse influences.
Staged at the gallery’s Los Angeles location, how deep how far we can go is an evocative journey through Takano’s newest paintings. Many works feature her iconic, dreamlike figures, each bearing female bodies while still being distinctly androgynous. These girls stare out at us with glossy, oblong eyes; they hurtle themselves over massive trees; they float into a night sky peppered with stars; and they ride cows through thick jungles. It’s clear that Takano enjoys such surreal, otherworldly imagery, seeing a confluence between natural, built, and, in some cases, mythological environments. This all feels reminiscent of a fairy tale, complete with friendly animals and incredible landscapes.
These themes also betray Takano’s interest in what Perrotin calls “biological interconnectedness.” Many scenes showcase hybrid figures engaging with spiritual entities, animals, fungi, DNA strands, and countless plants—all of whom peacefully coexist. In one drawing, for instance, two children sit at a dinner table, with one reading a manga by Osamu Tezuka. Beside them is a white bear, who, rather than sparking alarm, joins the pair as a “full member of the family,” per the gallery. The bear’s eyes drift toward the left side of the canvas, as if searching for something just beyond our reach.
“It gazes in a different direction, subtly suggesting an alternative point of view, an alternative possibility,” Michaël Ferrier writes in an accompanying exhibition essay about the artist. “In all of these works, the imaginary becomes a tool for displacing normative perception and inviting unexpected forms of kinship.”
For Takano, that “kinship” is immortal, stretching back thousands of years. In these works, plant, animal, human, and microbial life all exist in complete harmony, dissolving any boundaries that may have otherwise separated them.
“Within our bodies is embedded the entire history of life,” Takano explains. “Our DNA holds the information and memories from the time we were plants, reptiles, or fish. If we can access this, we may be able to journey all the way back to a place that feels like the very source of life.”
Taken in its entirety, this exhibition is an exercise in “decentering” humans from a larger narrative. Instead, the “radiance of all life,” as Takano says, should be celebrated. Aya Takano: how deep how far we can go is now on view at Perrotin Los Angeles through August 29, 2025.
Aya Takano: how deep how far we can go explores the Japanese artist’s superflat aesthetic, while also highlighting her interest in ecology and interconnectedness.
“地球上のすべての生物のスピリット | the spirit of all life on earth,” 2025. (©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
“地球上の全植物の精 | the spirit of all plants on earth,” 2025. (©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
“現在から過去、中心への旅 | from present to past, a journey to the center,” 2025. (©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
Installation view of AYA TAKANO’s “how deep how far we can go” at Perrotin Los Angeles, 2025. (Photo: Paul Salveson. ©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
The exhibit is now showing at Perrotin Los Angeles through August 29, 2025.
Installation view of AYA TAKANO’s “how deep how far we can go” at Perrotin Los Angeles, 2025. (Photo: Paul Salveson. ©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
“中心の世界、静けさへの誘い | invitation to tranquility, the world of the center,” 2025. (©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
Installation view of AYA TAKANO’s “how deep how far we can go” at Perrotin Los Angeles, 2025. (Photo: Paul Salveson. ©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.)
Installation view of AYA TAKANO’s “how deep how far we can go” at Perrotin Los Angeles, 2025. (Photo: Paul Salveson. ©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
Installation view of AYA TAKANO’s “how deep how far we can go” at Perrotin Los Angeles, 2025. (Photo: Paul Salveson. ©2025 AYA TAKANO/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved)
Exhibition Information:
Aya Takano
How deep how far we can go
July 19–August 29, 2025
Perrotin Gallery
5036 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019
Aya Takano: Instagram
Perrotin Gallery: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Perrotin Gallery.
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