Maya Makino aims to capture and preserve the experience of witnessing scenes from the past triggered by an involuntary awareness of sensations. Think of the quietness of the night or the sound of rain. Recently, the artist has taken a more focused perspective on the phenomenon of remembering—both intentional and unintentional. In this mental space, vividness, oblivion, and the ambiguity of memory seem to coexist. A memory can be restored, reinforced, or even transformed in the act of remembering. It shifts the vividness and evaluation of the memory, often resulting in a discrepancy between what the original memory was and what it has become. However, even when memories take on a life of their own and diverge from reality, they can still be genuine and, therefore, true.

In Out of Focus, Maya Makino brings this fascinating concept to life in her characteristic indigo-blue paintings. She uses a single dye to achieve a range of indigo blue hues, working on wooden panels primed with a traditional gesso made of gofun—also known as shell lime. By doing so, the Japanese artist is able to create subtle textures and reliefs on her surfaces before soaking the panels with an intense dye. The indigo does not sit on top of the surface; it penetrates the support—parallel to how the mind is penetrated and altered in an act of remembrance. The Japanese artist approaches painting as a phenomenon emerging from deep within the support, as the color impels the painting to transcend its material aspects.

The nine paintings on panel are humble in scale, yet they exude a mysterious presence that fills the entire space. Four vertically oriented paintings, measuring just eighteen by fourteen centimeters—or seven by five inches—from her ongoing Night series create a sequence of blue shimmers, glints of memories of the night. Night turns into midnight in her new and eponymous series of square panels measuring thirty by thirty centimeters—or twelve by twelve inches—marked by using two of her most intense dark indigo hues. The edge separating the hues creates a characteristic horizontal band, as if a horizon, summoning an atmospheric quality similar to her Night series. A third characteristic, in which Makino raises the shape on a flat surface using gofun gesso to give it relief, can be found in two textured panels measuring eighteen by fourteen centimeters, or seven by five inches, with vertical strips rolling down the plane of the canvas in her Rain series.

Maya Makino was born in 1980 in Kanagawa, Japan, and is currently based in Tokyo, Japan. The artist achieved a BFA and MFA in Painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. Notable exhibitions include national and international institutional venues such as Geidai Art Plaza in Tokyo, Japan; Heather Gaudio Fine Art in Connecticut, the United States of America; The Untitled Void in Seoul, South Korea; The University Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan; The Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo, Japan; and the Fuchu Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan. As a result, her works feature in public collections such as The University Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan; Minakami Collection in Gunma, Japan; TIAD Autograph Collection in Aichi, Japan; Yoshimoto Pole Co., Ltd. in Gunma, Japan; Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Kanagawa, Japan; and Saiho-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan. Maya Makino joined the CAI Gallery program in 2022.