Satoko Aoki: Unseen Roots - A Journey of Blooming Ebisu Smile

2026
Mixed Media
Acrylic paints, Japanese mineral pigments, pigments, resin, canvas
M8 H273×W455×D20mm

This piece depicts a fantastical scene in which multiple rounded white masses, like clouds, float overlapping each other against a quiet background where grayish gold, silver, and light blue blend together. The surface of each white mass is adorned with delicate white linear patterns of leaf veins and spirals. While a superficial glance might suggest soft clouds or cotton candy, a closer look reveals a texture reminiscent of stacked earth or rocks, depicting a mysterious entity where clouds and earth seem to be integrated.

Scattered atop these continuous clouds (or hills) are small mushroom houses and adorable creatures wearing pointed hats, with motifs of gold, green, and light blue leaves and berries peeking out here and there. At the bottom of the painting, several root-like white lines extend straight down from the bottom of the clouds, and a small entity in a basket is tied to one of their tips.

As the title "unseen roots" suggests, this work focuses on the existence of "roots" that quietly but surely spread beneath the visible, cloud-like plump masses. The "Mokumoku" in the subtitle "Mokumoku Ebisu Warai no Tabi" (Mokumoku Ebisu Smile Journey) literally expresses the plump and warm texture of rising clouds or smoke, and the phrase "Ebisu Warai" (Ebisu smile) conveys a blessed and tranquil atmosphere that naturally makes viewers smile.

This work, in which small creatures' lives and unseen roots extending deep into the earth coexist within soft, cloud-like masses, tells a story of quiet and rich connections and roots hidden beneath what is visible, through gentle colors and textures.