Satoko Aoki　Signboard　Guidepost　H750×W750×D25mm

Dyeing (Tsutsugaki, Wax Resist Dyeing)
Acid dyes, pigments, wool melton, wooden panel

This work, "Signboard," was created using "tsutsugaki" (rice paste resist dyeing) and "wax resist dyeing" (rozome), dyeing techniques that Satoko Aoki originally specialized in. Thick wool melton was used as the support, stretched over a wooden panel, transforming it from a flat dyed piece into a three-dimensional "fabric painting."

The composition is reminiscent of a kimono, and within it, scale-like (evoking seigaiha patterns) semicircular parts are densely arranged. Inside each semicircle, a wide variety of small motifs such as birds, raindrops, flowers, bicycles, milk bottles, animals, and bottles are drawn with dyes and pigments. The golden lines covering the entire surface are the resist lines from the tsutsugaki technique, left as they are. The soft bleeding seen around the flowers and raindrops is likely due to the effect of wax, characteristic of wax resist dyeing.

The title "Signboard" suggests that the accumulation of countless small motifs itself is perceived as a kind of "sign" or "marker" that reflects the artist's inner world. According to the artist's statement, Satoko Aoki's work aims to "visualize invisible things such as emotions, memories, and sounds," and the "noise" that constantly fills her brain daily serves as the source of her motifs. The countless fragmented motifs depicted in this work can be interpreted as an attempt to capture this incessant internal "noise" within small windows (the scale shapes), visualize it, and present it to the viewer as a "signpost of the mind."

The contrast between the dark brownish-gray background and the vibrant colors of yellow, pink, light blue, and green filling only the inside of the kimono shape visually represents the process by which negative "noise" transforms into positive "sound" through art.

In recent years, Aoki has focused on the "concept" of dyeing, experimenting with "expressing dyeing without dyeing" by reproducing the unique texture of dyeing using acrylic paints and canvas. However, this work was created using dyeing techniques themselves, making it a piece where one can directly appreciate the techniques and textures of textile art, which is the artist's origin.