Personnage Fictionnel: Imagined Portraits
“Good Looking” marks the return of Dutch artist Raymond Lemstra to Tokyo with a fresh look at his “Personnage Fictionnel” series. Now based in Seoul, Lemstra creates meticulously detailed portraits that aren’t actually of anyone at all. Instead, he uses a blend of playful distortion and technical precision to tap into our natural instinct to find human faces in abstract shapes. These characters sit in a strange middle ground — partly realistic, partly cynical and entirely imaginary.
The exhibition also serves as the debut for Lemstra’s newest paintings, which reflect his cross-cultural journey between Europe and Asia. In these works, he layers traditional Dutch oil painting techniques onto hanji (handmade Korean mulberry paper), creating a striking texture that bridges the gap between old-world craftsmanship and modern abstraction.
