For all the apparent intensity of the cut-and-pasted surfaces of Shinro Ohtake’s works, they are created with great patience. The artist methodically creates layers of material inspired by geological strata, striving for a ‘variation of density’ rather than a thematic connection between elements. The works in Ohtake’s series ‘Oku-Kei’ (‘memory scapes’) are distinguished by a pronounced use of colour and figuration.  Created from cut-out photographs and other found materials, they are overlaid with sheets of clear acrylic that are painted with bursts of iridescent colour to create an intense visual field. Luminous blooms hover above scraps of paper, fabric and tape assembled in layers that reveal old film stills, erotic photographs and commercial drawings. These images, which Ohtake has sourced from product catalogues, media reportage and illustrated textbooks, interest the artist for their ‘diluted’ expressive intent rather than their content; he favours them as emotionless attempts to communicate reality and opens up the narrow range of possible readings by creating new combinations.