Born in the idyllic seaside town of Tottori in 1990, Japanese artist Yukimasa Ida's gestural paintings focus on the concept of 'Ichi-go Ichi-e' — a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. The term itself is a cultural idiom, describing the concept of an unrepeatable moment in life. The current series, End of today, acts as daily journals reflecting the artist's exploration into his central concept: "My series of small portraits are like picture diaries to me and it’s a lifework. I make it a rule for me to paint one work per day when the date changes, between 11pm to 1am, that’s why I titled the series 'End of today'.”

The concept emphasises both the beauty and cruelness of flowing time within a lifetime. Life itself very much equals the idea of 'Ichi-go Ichi-e'; it applies to the people we meet and the environments we live in: every person and place are constantly changing, moments fleeting. “We have four seasons in Japan. In spring the trees will decorate themselves with flowers blooming, and fresh green leaves will grow lively in summer. Those leaves will turn golden colour in autumn, then all the colours vanish in winter. This universal cycle is the root of my concept ‘Ichi-go Ichi-e’ and I believe this is the universal truth in human being and the truth across this planet. Each moment that we experience is an irreplaceable one, something that cannot be experienced again, and these consecutive moments creates the world.” —— Yukimasa IdaFor Ida, memories transform the reality of life into flat momentary images. In his work, Ida aims to capture and project these film-like images eternally, as if crystalising them. The artist utilises thick impasto and rich textures in his work, intentionally burying glimpses of realistic details under heavy layers of paint and a chaotic colour palette. These works capture a momentary whirl of reality, allowing the audience to observe an unfiltered world of emotions.