Aoki Satoko　Sky Bearers - sunset bearers H530×W455×D64mm

2023
Mixed Media
Acrylic paint, pigment, resin, canvas
F10

This work depicts a large white bird standing with its wings spread in the upper right, within a composition that largely gradients from mint green at the top of the canvas to orange and vermilion color fields reminiscent of a sunset. The bird, with its round head and black eyes, stands adorably atop a fiery orange hill (or the sunset sky itself), with golden lines and fine dots of red, white, and light blue spreading across the entire slope of the hill as if to support its entire body.

As the title "Sunset Bearers" suggests, this bird is not merely in the sunset but is depicted as an entity that "bears and carries" the sunset itself. The myriad lines and dots spreading from the bird's feet resemble grasses and flowers rooted on the ridge of the hill, yet at the same time, they also appear as if the colors of the sky themselves are being created by the bird and raining down upon the earth.

In contrast to the black beasts seen in the previous "persona series," the white bird in this work exhibits a quiet and stable presence. While taking the twilight, the end of the day, as its motif, what emanates is not a sense of loss but a gentle sense of fulfillment symbolized by the warm orange color. This work evokes a story of quiet circulation, where the bird gently carries the "sky (=fading emotions and time)" onward to the next moment.