(The Premonition of Love)
KOY NO YOKAN
An exploration of memory, technological obsolescence, digital nostalgia and the enduring cultural dialogue between Japan and the West
POLYGON1993
Curated by Brian Beccafico
July 4th – 31st , 2026
ArtVerse is pleased to present Koi No Yokan – The Premonition of Love, a solo exhibition by French artist POLYGON1993, curated by Brian Beccafico (Arthemort). Welcoming visitors into a realm where retromania and nostalgic aesthetics meet digital modernism, the exhibition weaves together symbolic, cultural, and aesthetic elements drawn from the same Japanese pop culture that has infatuated European audiences since the 80s. Such influence has created, as a consequence, a new wave of cultural exchange and hybridisation, one which Polygon1993 feels deeply connected to as an active byproduct of this sharedness. Timed to coincide with the energy of Japan Expo, the exhibition will open with a VIP preview on July 3rd, followed by the public vernissage on July 4th, 2026.
Driven by a robust and multidisciplinary creative process utilizing photography, illustration, animation, and analogue circuit bending to produce his digital work, POLYGON1993 has garnered global recognition for the unique aesthetic universe spanning across elements such as collectibles, sculpture, and the large scale installations he shares with his audience. His distinct creative vision has resonated widely, translating seamlessly from traditional gallery settings to high-profile brand collaborations, musical partnerships, and immersive live visuals.
While the artist's work has been widely exhibited across Asia, Europe, and the United States, including notable presentations in Japan, this exhibition at ArtVerse marks his highly anticipated solo debut in a French gallery. The show offers an unprecedented opportunity for the public to discover both seminal past works and new pieces produced specifically for this occasion. Here, aesthetics recalling the golden eras of video games, manga, and Japanese cinema from the 1980s to the 2000s, paying homage to iconic masterpieces like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, are reinterpreted through a contemporary artistic language where nostalgia directly confronts the modern viewer, making that influential retromania aesthetic contemporary and relevant again to new audiences.
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The exhibition title, Koi no Yokan, borrows from a Japanese concept that beautifully describes the premonition of love: the sudden, undeniable certainty upon meeting someone that you are destined to fall in love with. Borrowed from one of the central series on display, the title also mirrors the exact sensation felt when encountering POLYGON1993's work for the very first time. Further embracing this profound dialogue between cultures and sensibilities, Paying homage to the uniquely Japanese positive twist on cultural appropriation reference as Gyakuyunyuu (Reimport), POLYGON1993 returns to France alongside Mitsuhiro Arita, a world-acclaimed, first-generation illustrator of Pokémon trading cards who has remarkably never been exhibited within a contemporary art gallery setting until now.
Koi No Yokan brings together approximately fifteen works by POLYGON1993, highlighted by an original, first-of-its-kind collaborative piece with Mitsuhiro Arita. Utilizing an array of physical mediums, including PMMA (acrylic) sculptures, canvas prints, and custom luminous environments, the exhibition deploys technical innovations borrowed from sister creative industries. Holographic effects and materials native to the world of collectible card gaming, and that are rarely utilized within contemporary art, are seamlessly integrated to blend the boundaries of fine art, gaming culture, and classic Japanese animation. The bespoke scenography treats light as an artistic medium in its own right, diffracting it through his own lens just as he does with his multicultural influences, augmenting POLYGON1993’s works within the gallery space and dynamically extending his practice far beyond the physical frame.
In experiencing this body of work, the deep-seated connection between the artist and Japanese contemporary culture becomes instantly clear. As a devoted collector of vintage Japanese trading card games, retro consoles, and turn-of-the-millennium video games, POLYGON1993’s entire visual education and aesthetic sensibilities were forged by these very cultural artifacts, now elevated into a compelling contemporary art experience.
Working at the intersection of nostalgia and innovation, Polygon1993 has established himself as a leading figure in contemporary Glitch Art. His distinctive visual language emerges from the use of circuit-bent analog video equipment from the 1980s and 1990s, transforming technological imperfections into creative tools. In his work, analog technologies coexist with digital evolution, generating distorted worlds where reality and imagination blur, and where past, present and future collapse into a single visual experience.
POLYGON1993, Myosotis
Exhibition informations
Press contact
Exhibition duration: July 4th - 31st, 2026
Opening hours:Tuesday to friday (10am~8:30pm); Saturday (2pm~8:30pm)
Address: Artverse Gallery, 5bis Rue de Beauce, 75003, Paris
Opening - 6pm - 4th of July
Exhibition - July 4th - 31st
Special Evening Friday July 17, 2026, 5pm ~ 10pm — In the presence of Mitsuhiro Arita
Tournament Saturday, July 18, 2026, 2pm ~ 10pm — Phantasm TCG