Koosuke IRKT Ikeda

Koosuke IRKT Ikeda is a painter from California who is based in New York City. IRKT collages mixed media onto the painted surface, reflecting traces of memories and associations that are experienced as fleeting moments within a densely populated urban environment. Having spent his youth in mega-cities such as Paris, Tokyo and London, the artist is inspired by a mix of cosmopolitan visual culture, advertisements and street art.



The artist’s acronym stands for Individual Relative K(c)ontradiction Theory and serves as the conceptual basis for his work that intersects with fine art, design and fashion. Identity and ethnicity are central to his practice, both being effects of globalization. The rabbit appears as a consistent motif in his work. Rabbits (2011) portrays the animal as a fashionable mask while Rabbit Map (2011) and Polys (2011) represent patterns and logos that the artist once encountered while walking through New York City. Each painting is coated with a layer of clear acrylic so as to preserve particular moments of the artist’s visual associations with sound, self and image.