Artist: Yutaka Hashimoto
Title: Study for NULL (Does appearance produce bias #076), 2021
Size: 80.3 × 100.0 cm (31⅝ × 39⅜ in.)
Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel 
Edition: Original 
Year: 2021
Notes: Hand Signed on Verso. 
About: Does repetition produce bias? That question is central to Yutaka Hashimoto’s art. His practice centers around the concept of “Null”, channeled through “character which looks familiar but it has actually never existed.” It is intentionally ambiguous, leaving space for the viewer to bring their own interpretation “derived from various factors and backgrounds such as race, religion, culture etc.”. At the same time, Hashimoto is also questioning his own biases and seeking to eliminate them through repetition.

Hashimoto turns the idea of the “throw-up” to a science. He considers most of his works “studies”. A continual “process of trial-and-error”. He draws from the idea of the “throw-up”. The practice originates in graffiti, and is an image or a mark that becomes as recognizable as the artist’s signature. Before creating a work Hashimoto creates a set of rules – “for example, I only use black and white colors, or I only draw the same characters. Next, I work according to these rules, but I try to be very careful not to make the work look like something I've drawn before.” Through this strict methodology, Hashimoto uncovers the complex biases disguised in a simple idea.