Ootokoi / Robert Ekkel - Blue Town

In his 2025 work, the artist Ootokoi (Robert Ekkel) presents a fascinating symbiosis of meticulous precision and playful narration, unfolding in an expanding universe. The large-format piece depicts a vast, isometric landscape, in which architecture, flora, and human miniatures are arranged in a seemingly boundless, luminous blue space.

Notably, the artist’s artisanal roots are outstanding: Ekkel’s training as a decorative technician in a porcelain manufactory is evident in every brushstroke. The discipline typical of porcelain painting—the mastery of fine lines and controlled application of color—is transferred here to the canvas. The houses with their distinctive red and blue roofs, as well as the small-scale figures, possess a graphic clarity that recalls the perfection of handcrafted décors. Yet, unlike the earlier work, which rested on an earthy background, the luminous blue background of this composition lends a new, buoyant quality. The static arrangement gives way to a sense of infinity and a subtle sense of flowing.

Despite the abundance of details, the image does not feel cluttered. Ootokoi uses the bright, vibrant blue background of the canvas as 'negative space,' giving the individual elements room to breathe and at the same time acting as a connecting medium. This creates an almost meditative order, yet one that is enlivened by a rich variety of micro-narratives. The isometric perspective withholds a central focal point and instead compels the viewer into an exploratory role—the eye wanders, as in a Where's Waldo picture, from scene to scene, discovering the dynamics of an amusement park, the busyness of a construction site, and the expanse of an airport, embedded in a landscape of houses and stylized trees.

The work reflects modern coexistence not only in its urban structures but expands it to the dimensions of work, leisure, and mobility. It abstracts the complexity of a settlement and its diverse functions into an orderly, almost iconographic system. It is a homage to order in chaos and presents the world as a fragile, but harmonious arrangement that continually expands and in its details contains infinitely many stories.