Product Details

Original framed painting by Kosuke Ajiro

Painting Size: 34.5 x 44.5cm (13.6 x 17.5 inches)

Framed Size approx: 48.3 x 58.3cm (19 x 23 inches)

Date of Artwork: 2025

Location of Signature: The back of each painting is signed in sepia ink.

FRAME CHOICES: Oak with mount, Putty wood with mount, White wood with mount, Black wood with mount

Please note: Our framers are recognised by the Fine Art Trade Guild for their quality because the custom frames have tightly pinned corners, and are made from precision cut wood in England, made bespoke for each order. All our frames are glazed with our Clarity+ Perspex. It's cut from the highest quality acrylic sheet that's both crystal clear, but also safe and filters out 99% of UV light to protect the artwork.
Read more about our FRAMING WORKSHOP here

TAKE A TOUR - PRESS PLAY

STORY

Medieval scrolls, tapestries, frescoes, quilts, folk-lore and dreams are all cited as inspiration for the artist. To look into one of Ajiro's paintings is to get lost within another world, one full of mysterious creatures, mandrakes, winged-cardinals, puppets, flowers, mysterious writings, kings, queens and knights, forest creatures and tree roots.

The density of detail and activity within Kosuke Ajiro's work references Hieronymus Bosch's 15th century masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Above: detail from Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights 1490-1510 Museo del Prado, Madrid

The earth bound detail at the bottom of the paintings which moves up to the sky is a device also used by Ajiro to take our eyes on a journey up and around each work. This creates a mysterious narrative, a story to decipher.

Elemental forces appear as a constant throughout Kosuke Ajiro's work, which storms and lightning often blowing in. In Give Me Your Heart (detail below) a toy boat on high waves is blown by a flamed-tongued monster with storm clouds raging and an angel protecting it from above.

And a harpy in the same painting, cannot seem to fly upright for the strength of the wind.

Kosuke Ajiro's work is also full of noises, sounds that we can't hear but the characters in the paintings can. 

When you feel that you have seen the painting in full, there is always more to find. Look closely and there are tree roots ensnaring a bishop, knights riding on the back of a half-insect-half-bird creature. Who is rescuing who in Kosuke's Ajiro's paintings is never quite clear.

Groups of angels on clouds, waiting in the wings with a pet dog, demonstrates that there is always more to see, a detail that is waiting to be found and delight the viewer.

Kosuke Ajiro (b. 1980) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Tokyo, Japan. Celebrated for his fascinating work, with many important solo exhibitions and publications in Japanese. We are privileged to be able to show and make his work available outside of Japan at The Shop Floor Project.