Kosuke Ajiro (b. 1980) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Tokyo, Japan, who, for some time, has been inspired by an imaginary lost kingdom. He sees himself as an archaeologist making discoveries and all of his artworks are manifestations of this forgotten realm, in mediums ranging from acrylic and watercolour to ceramic sculpture, mixed media installation, animation film and original music. The finished artworks are presented as excavated artefacts, which is why their surfaces sometimes have a powdery quality and show traces of age. ‘I make artworks based on another world that exists in my mind, called the Kingdom of Sally. It’s a fictional civilization that grew from around the 1st century BC to the Middle Ages. I think of myself as an archaeologist who’s discovering this world piece by piece.’He continues: ‘The story of the Kingdom of Sally isn’t fully written yet. It appears as I paint, almost like the world is revealing itself in real time. When I draw in a relaxed, almost dream-like state, things I feel in my daily life naturally mix into the scenes.’Within the historical context of the Kingdom of Sally, all of the characters and creatures depicted have names, and the scenes tell of its legends, such as the creation of the realm, gods, allegories, or festivals. These detailed settings have evolved into a whole universe, with its own culture, chronicles, belief system and languages. The kingdom’s full expanse is still to unfold. Drawing on traditional Japanese narrative scrolls, European illuminated manuscripts and various folk arts reflecting faith, Ajiro's artworks are full of absurdity and disorder, with the notable influence of Hieronymus Bosch. Dialectics of cruelty/humour, grotesque/beauty and horror/divine prevail, and the artist himself is often represented as a female doppelganger. His art can show traces of Jungian psychology, Surrealist visions, Outsider art, and Japanese character culture. ‘Many ideas come from the games, movies, world history, children's literature, and comics I loved when I was young,’ he adds.