Sush Machida Gaikotsu and His Unique World

Inspired by Japanese comic books, American TV and both countries’ movies, Sush Machida Gaikotsu’s paintings of fat fish, animated toys and self-assured pets are also influenced by contemporary art from around the world, including David Reed’s abstractions, Edward Ruscha’s landscapes and Yoshitomo Nara’s cartoon portraits. Despite the power of these sources, the young painter, who is a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, still manages to create a world all his own.

It’s a strange place. At Mark Moore Gallery, five long, skinny panels present slice-of-life views that are enigmatic and mesmerizing, at once weirdly dignified and utterly irreverent.

The three vertical works depict inflatable superheroes striking classic poses in airbrushed landscapes filled with tall pines. In “Drop Shot the 7 Bubble Gum,” a bright, red letter O floats in a baby-blue sky over a postcard-perfect view of Mt. Fuji. “Mega Onsen Bubble Jetter” and “Ultra Phenomenon #1” show sci-fi creatures walking on water or sending mysterious rays of light into the atmosphere.

The two horizontal paintings are more efficient and sophisticated. “Ayu Design Otori Mode” presents a fish so big it extends beyond the painting’s four edges. “Mee the PRZ76 Ultra Heavy” transforms an even bigger fish’s shimmering skin into a landscape as glorious as any sunset. Wily cats and a kamikaze mouse populate Gaikotsu’s fantasy lands, all of which rebound so rapidly between silliness and seriousness that they cause mental whiplash.

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Mark Moore Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 453-3031, through Oct. 27. Closed Sundays and Mondays.