Makoto Aida's scenes of skewed eroticism—obsessively detailed, leaning toward the violent and grotesque, and humorous in the very darkest sense—drive provocative motifs that intelligently yet blatantly challenge our preconceived ideas of moral and social norms. Makoto suddenly blossomed as a painter in the realism mode while at Tokyo University of the Arts, and his art has been labeled "handle with care" ever since. At his fall 2012 exhibition "Aida Makoto: Monument for Nothing" held at Tokyo's Mori Art Museum, the museum had to label the room "R-18" when viewers deemed his works immoral. The documentary film Aida: A Natural-Born Artist depicts Makoto's life with family and the creative process behind his masterpieces. The Canadian international documentary film festival Hot Docs selected Aida for showing in its Art and Artists category in 2012.

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