Taketo Muroi - Latent grains 9

Technique: Promptography on fine art paper
Image size: 30 x 30 cm
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
Year: 2025

Latent Grains 9

Latent Grains 9 is perhaps the most relaxed work in the series – a painting that seems to have decided to defy categorization. The horizontally layered color zones are reminiscent of a sunset that has lingered too long over its own dramatic arc: yellow at the top, red in the middle, violet and blue below, all soft, all in transition, nothing rushed.

In contrast to the more conflict-ridden works in the series, there is an almost ironic serenity here. The colors lie layered like blankets on a futon – neat, but not austere. One could say: This painting knows perfectly well that it is beautiful, and therefore makes no fuss about it.

From an animistic perspective, the layers of color appear to coexist without interfering with one another. Each zone remains self-contained, respecting the space of the others. Read through a Zen Buddhist lens, Latent Grains 9 is a visual koan: What happens when nothing wants to "happen"? Answer: Exactly this.

From a media-critical perspective, one could say that an algorithm paused briefly here – a moment when no optimization was necessary. No effect overkill, no spectacle, but an image that quietly says: "I'm already here."

For Taketo Muroi, Latent Grains 9 is proof that AI-generated images can also have humor – very quiet, very subtle, and with an amazingly good sense of timing.