The minimalistic yet stylised works by American artist Georgia O’Keeffe has greatly influenced my exhibition, especially in the way I repeatedly twisted plain fabric as I sewed in the final components of Squeeze to highlight the curvature of mitochondrial cells. Kokoro, which portrays the way our inner emotions influence the way we view the world, was a work that was also heavily inspired by O’Keeffe, as well as Barbara Hepworth, a sculptor known for creating pieces that have an abstract, rounded form.
For the final exhibition of my works, I made sure that the curved, organic theme also applies to the way the scene is set up. Therefore, although the main exhibition is located in front of a harsh L-shaped display panel, I extended the space around the surrounding walls and placed plinths of a range of different heights at the corner and the sides to create a semi-circle. The space has no linearity and is free and flowing, which allows the viewer to wander around, without having to respect a particular order, angle, or direction. I chose to exhibit my works in terms of color and format rather than chronological order or theme. For example, I did not hesitate to place each of the two versions of my abstract Kokoro sculpture on either side of my large-scale abstract painting, Microkosmos, although they are entirely different in terms of theme, because the forms and colors used are similar. Also, I put the two, vibrant-colored figurative paintings Sip and Mikan beside each other on a single wall.
Overall, my exhibition explores the importance of respect for details in our daily lives, a core concept in Japanese culture. Being Japanese myself, I would like to highlight that details are as important as the bigger picture. By presenting this body of work, I am hoping to draw the viewer's attention to how abstract forms are integrated into daily life, and how their presence highlights the unique beauty of ordinary objects, concepts, and sceneries.