Satoko Aoki "Breath of Hope" H510×W727×D20mm

2019
Dyeing (Tsutsugaki)
Acid dyes, wool, wooden panel

“Breath of Hope” is a tsutsugaki piece created with acid dyes on wool. A large blank space (white area) is left on the left side of the composition, from which countless geometric patterns such as triangles, wavy lines, grids, and stippling spread out to the right in a dense cluster.

The dense section, filled with lines in a restrained palette of black, gray, and gold (amber), also subtly incorporates concrete motifs like small birds and plants. Continuous patterns, resembling mountain ranges, rows of tents, or roofs of an old village, are layered in multiple strata. The outline on the far left appears like a gentle ridgeline or a profile silhouette, suggesting that the boundary between the blank white space and the dense patterns itself depicts a form of breathing.

As the title “Breath” suggests, this work does not fill the entire canvas with patterns. Instead, by intentionally leaving a large blank space (representing the act of inhaling/exhaling), it provides room for a pause amidst the multitude of "noisy" motifs. In line with the artist’s statement about "visualizing invisible things such as emotions, memories, and sounds," this blank space can be interpreted as an expression, not through color but through the use of empty space, of the process by which chaotic internal noise is organized into a calm "breath"—that is, the transformation from "noise" to "sound of thought."

As the title "Hope" implies, the lightness and sense of openness brought by the blank space, contrasting with the density of the patterns, creates a finish that evokes a positive narrative.