Cultural Layers: Exploring Kotatsu Iwata’s Artistic Evolution

Twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kotatsu Iwata, a Japanese artist with an extraordinary talent for capturing the essence of visual culture through his art. At the time, I was excited to learn everything I could about his work, and be exposed to his phenomenal visual language. Among his works, two large-scale Starbucks-inspired paintings stood out, their striking imagery still imprinted in my memory. Two decades later, my enthusiasm for Iwata’s work hasn’t waned.