A journey of one’s own series (2019~to the present)
A woman who has only stayed inside goes out and embarks on a journey. Nothing is decided about her journey. There is no
purpose or destination. All we can see in each picture is a woman in various positions in different natural surroundings.
The series “a journey of one’s own” is a fantasy where I captured on canvas the trips that I have dreamed of. I define it
as a fantasy because the series sprung from my question of whether it’s possible for people today to have their own space
where they can focus solely on themselves. At first, I tried to convey my feelings of focusing on myself through the image
of a woman who is there alone in the midst of familiar scenery such as flower-blooming spring, summer sea, and a reed forest
in autumn. As I worked on (A grove of birch trees in winter), a journey of one’s own took a different turn. A small figure
standing amongst giant trees that reveal the continuity of time ironically showed freedom that she feels as she becomes one
with nature. I decided to expand this work into a larger story. Consequently, (A journey of one’s own _ December) was expressed by
numerous works including (A journey of one’s own _ before the dawn) and (I will come to you). The still figures underwent their
own journey of changes, becoming first dynamic and full of movement, then objects such as chairs rather than people.
I paint a woman in a landscape from the perspective of an observer. As I follow the texture and feel of the wind, the vivid color
of the sky, and the figure in nature, I feel like as if I escaped the categories enforced upon me by society and found my whole self.
I tried to be free in a natural space that is wholly my own. I thought then that not only women but also all my contemporaries can
relate to this sentiment. I pondered upon which place that modern people, who are so steeped in customs and daily lives, can expect
to be solely their own. My conclusion is that nature can be this alternative. At first glance, you might say that you have seen this
scene before, but you can hardly tell where and when. It is because I drew and painted the scenery with my own feelings. The vivid
colors with high chroma, the texture, and the fair figures that look like characters from romance comics all boil down to fantasies.
She is still on a journey, crossing the boundary of reality.
