Departure

Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper I Signed by artist

2019

Edition Size : 15 (35cm x 48cm)

We recommend a white hardwood frame.  

"As I get older, the main reason for re-visiting my hometown in Japan has gradually changed to attending funerals. Every time I go back, I feel more and more alienated even though it looks as nothing has changed since I left. Every time I go back, there is someone missing. 

"Ushi-no-Koku” is the time around 2am to 3am. In Japan, it has long been said to be the time leading to the everlasting life (the world after death), as it has the strongest Yin (shadow) hours in the Yin Yang and Five Elements theory. I’ve been fascinated by this unique atmosphere that is very different to any other time of day. Walking through town, the silence expands your sensibilities. No matter how lively or open a place may be during the day, once all activities disappear it feels as if time has frozen and the space has been closed off, with a darkness that’s like black ink."

On Lost/ Departure:

"This is one of the busiest motorways in Japan, which opened ahead of the 1972 Winter Olympics. I remember passing here many times while I was a child to visit elderly relatives who are no longer with us. Only recently I noticed there are a lot of funeral halls next to the road. I also found a bunch of needles under the arches. The old concrete walls block the moonlight and I felt like I was in a cave. The quotes “…for when you gaze long into the Abyss. The Abyss gazes also into you” by Nietzsche crossed my mind."

Any questions? Please email Kitty on kitty@subjectmatterart.com