Akira Taniguchi creates work centered on waterside landscapes and the natural phenomena that arise within them.

Clouds floating in the sky are reflected on the water’s surface like a mirror, only to dissolve when the wind blows, never holding a fixed form. Light filtering through breaks in the clouds reflects on the water and produces shimmering radiance. Since around 2023, he has continued to depict these fleeting moments woven by the movements of nature.

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His works are created on handmade wooden panels. Their sides are constructed from Japanese cedar LVL (laminated veneer lumber), while the painting surface is primarily made of Japanese cypress plywood. They two are domestically sourced timber. Taniguchi chooses domestic wood to reduce the environmental impact associated with overseas transportation. Furthermore, by using plywood made from offcuts generated during the manufacturing process rather than solid boards, he aims for a more sustainable use of tree—an approach that reflects his attitude toward nature.
In his expression, the flowing lines of the wood grain overlap with the ripples of the water’s surface, allowing the material itself to function as part of the landscape. Because the staining technique permeates pigment into the wood, the grain emerges within the finished work as a natural phenomenon.  He regards timber not only as the material that supports the paintings he creates, but also as a “co-performer” that embodies the passage of time and the cycles of nature.

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Underlying Taniguchi’s depictions of waterside phenomena is the philosophy of Chinese landscape painting (shan shui), which originated in the Tang dynasty. In this tradition, “mountain” symbolizes stability and permanence, while “water” represents fluidity and change. By painting waterside phenomena onto wooden panels born from the mountains, he brings together opposition and harmony, stillness and movement, within a single pictorial space.
Landscape painting in this tradition is not a window that simply reproduces the external world; it is directed toward the inner world of the viewer. It is a visual art form and simultaneously a philosophical practice of the painter. Shan shui invites viewers into a meditative state, prompting reflection on their relationship with nature and the meaning of life. Taniguchi’s works, too, serve as devices that offer viewers a quiet moment of introspection