It has been five years since Kida Yasuhiko passed away. Left behind in a corner of his atelier was a group of small paintings, in colors on wooden board, that perhaps more than any of his vast oeuvre encapsulated the liveliness, noises and smells of places all around the world which Kida loved to explore again and again: the bustling scenes of street markets.

Much of Kida’s thought and reflections during his travels can be traced in his custom-made sketchbooks, containing a plethora of details of his trips and particular situations that often can be matched with particular paintings. This exhibition showcases the artist’s works together with his sketchbooks, allowing for the first time a close-up glimpse into his journey to the markets of the world.

* All texts and travel memories quoted from: Kida Yasuhiko, Markets of the World. Kawade Shobō Shinsha (Tokyo, 1993).