SPOTLIGHT: TOMA KŌYA AND MAHMUT OZDEMIR

ONLINE VIEWING ROOM | OCTOBER 22 - DECEMBER 5, 2026

We are pleased to present a spotlight on two gallery artists who also have created worlds that exist apart from physical reality.  

Toma Kōya was born in 2007 in Omarama, New Zealand, and has been drawing since he was old enough to remember.  With great energy, he has continuously created a massive imaginary world influenced by Japanese anime and games from the 70’s-90’s. 

All of his works are produced under the distribution of a fictional anime company he created called “TODCi ANimatiON WORLD.” Set in an action-adventure story where the protagonists, COK and TOD, battle the evil organization Villay, he single-handedly produces everything. Koya, who is neurodivergent, is hypersensitive to sound and has troubles communicating.  His most comfortable personal space is home where he finds quiet refuge drawing his unique "record of the inner world.” Although many of his narratives are fully decipherable only to him, it is clear his work is a grand story and deeply narrative. 

Kōya lives and works in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.  We are grateful to Nobumasa Kushino of Kushino Terrace for introducing us to the artist.

Mahmut Ozdemir was from a small town in Turkey near the sea of Marmara. Ozdemir had a grade school education. He was a home-grown philosopher who early on was bravely trying to make a living in very difficult economic circumstances. He had dreams.  He wished to see a large fully developed Olympic village in Turkey that would bring people together. For many years he had a small store in the living room of his home until the Turkish economy crashed. He never recovered financially. He spent the  last days of his life interpreting dreams and telling fortunes, using coffee dregs as his medium, and picking figs. He left a significant body of work that is only now receiving significant attention.   His drawings reflect his sense of benevolent wonder and hope in a world of futuristic architectures and landscapes that still reflect an old civilization.