Aoki Satoko: "eternal - A-Un Enso -" H803×W652×D24mm

titanium series
2022
Mixed Media
Acrylic paint, pigment, resin, titanium, wood panel
　

This work is part of the "titanium series," which combines titanium material, whose color changes depending on the viewing angle, with Satoko Aoki's distinctive line drawing. Lines and patterns swirl across the entire surface of the work, forming a circular ring, with two paired white birds placed at the starting and ending points of the circle.

Inside the lines forming the circle, motifs such as leaves, flowers, droplets, and geometric triangles and rhombuses are intricately drawn in colors like blue, green, gold, and coral. Outside the circle, white line-drawn flora and seeds spread radially, as if the circle itself is breathing and permeating the entire canvas.

The title "Enso" is a term in Zen that refers to the tradition of drawing a circle with a single brushstroke in calligraphy and painting, symbolizing enlightenment, the universe, or the mind itself. The artist visualizes this concept of Enso not through characters, but through two birds and endless line drawings. By placing birds at the beginning and end of the circle, she expresses the relationship indicated by the term "Aun"—the beginning and end of things, or the concordance of opposing breaths or aspirations.

Titanium, as a material, changes hue depending on how light hits it, giving it a fluidity that cannot be captured in a still image. The artist intentionally incorporates this optical illusion into her color scheme, and the way the artwork displays different expressions depending on the viewing angle and time of day resonates with the polysemy of Enso, which "appears in various ways depending on the viewer's feelings and circumstances at that moment."

[Artist's Comment]

This series combines titanium material (metal), which changes color depending on the viewing angle, with line drawings. Some titanium hues transform into completely different colors, and the unique, endlessly expanding line drawings make it seem as if the artwork is moving. The color matching is also different from usual; I decide the color scheme by utilizing optical illusions each time, focusing on fluid colors. This titanium material, which looks like "foil," is resistant to rust and heat and is lightweight for a metal, making it a highly functional material also used for temple roof tiles.

The concept of the work is based on "Zen terms." Zen teachings, often expressed in words, are conveyed through animals and the artist's unique lines. "Zen" is about thoroughly facing oneself and the idea that "everything is within oneself." The artist hopes that viewers will enjoy contemplating their own unique interpretations of each Zen term and feel as if they are being questioned, while also finding inspiration and positive feelings by displaying the Zen terms as aspirational ideals.

- Enso -
A symbol of perfection and expansion. It is also the endlessly continuing universe, with no beginning and no end = an endless line drawing. It carries a broad, deep meaning, so it appears in various ways depending on the viewer's feelings and circumstances at that moment.