Satoko Aoki, My Way - Flamingo H600×W200×D38mm

dyeing series 2025 Mixed media Acrylic paint, mineral pigments, pigments, canvas This piece is part of the "my way" series and, like "indigo," employs a vertically long composition reminiscent of a hanging scroll, with patterned bands of line drawings at the top and bottom edges. In this work, the upper and lower bands are a pale grayish-white, adorned with delicate indigo and gold line drawings, while the central main panel is filled with a serene rose-beige color. In the center, an irregularly shaped, island-like form, resembling a mineral pigment dye, floats, beautifully graded from turquoise blue to pale yellowish-green. In contrast to the ecru-colored land of "indigo," this piece evokes cool watersides and lakes. Between the white linear paths and river patterns, tiny yellowish-green berries (or flowers) are dotted. And at the peak of this island, a small blue fox stands quietly. The subtitle "flamingo" does not depict flamingos directly, but rather symbolically represents the scenery of lakes and tidal flats where flamingos live, evoked by the rose-beige tones that envelop the entire work and the waterside texture of the land. While "indigo" expressed a deeply introspective "my way" in indigo, this piece, with its cool colors reminiscent of water and life, portrays a gentler and more open "my way." As the series title "my way" suggests, the small fox standing at the peak in each work stands on a different colored land—that is, a different landscape of life—and quietly contemplates the path it has walked and the path it will take. Though the motif of the fox is the same, the changing colors and textures of the land silently tell us that "my way" can take many diverse forms. As stated in the artist's statement, this work is also an attempt to reproduce the "blurring" and "shibori" unique to dyeing, as well as designs reminiscent of Japanese hanging scrolls, without using dyeing techniques, but with acrylic paint, mineral pigments, and canvas. 【Artist's Comment】 This series by Satoko Aoki, a former dye artist, focuses on the "concept" of dyeing. It is a new attempt to "express dyeing without dyeing." Using acrylic paint and canvas, popular materials in painting, this work reproduces the blurring and shibori unique to dyeing, incorporating designs and colors reminiscent of Japanese-style hanging scrolls, the fine lines of Yuzen dyeing, and the "goodness of dyeing" that the artist felt during her time as a dyer. As someone who loves dyeing, there may be aspects where it cannot rival authentic dyed products, but by expressing dyeing without actually dyeing, this series solves the issue of "fading" that was a challenge for dyed products, allowing the goodness of dyeing to be preserved for future generations for a longer time. I hope this series can serve as an opportunity for people to become a little more interested in dyeing.