Depicting Eastern Philosophical Thought Through American Abstract Expressionism

A solo exhibition by contemporary artist Mitsumasa Kadota, titled Dissolving Horizons: A New Figure-Ground Proposition, has been held at GOCA by Garde in New York City from May 7 to June 18, 2026. The exhibition coincides with Frieze Week, one of the largest international events in the contemporary art world.

“Alive” 2026 Acrylic and Carborundum on Cotton 2273×1818mm

Drawing on the legacy of American Abstract Expressionism, Kadota has developed a distinctive painterly practice informed by a Japanese polytheistic worldview. In this exhibition, he explores the fundamental pictorial structure of “figure and ground” — the relationship between subject and background — presenting a visual experience in which boundaries continually fluctuate through the lens of nondualism, a philosophy that perceives divinity within all things, including space and action, self and world.

“Pioneer” 2026 Acrylic and Carborundum on Cotton 2272×1822mm

“Planetes” 2026 Acrylic and Carborundum on Cotton 1168×1170mm

The dynamic interplay of bold brushwork and color creates a constant oscillation between space and the act of painting itself, dissolving the boundaries that separate them. While inheriting the possibilities of flatness pursued by Abstract Expressionism, Kadota’s work also seeks to elevate Eastern philosophical thought into the very structure of painting.