A Tree- 舞Mai-
Extreme ugliness in aging may, at its limit, become beautiful. To nurture the irregular, discontinuous, and multi-layered structure of aging within oneself, a shift in perspective may be necessary. This involves abandoning the belief that life forms are regular, continuous creations. By stripping everything away to the core where there is nothing, one may instead arrive at an avant-garde understanding," the late psychologist Hayao Kawai once remarked.
In the summer of 2014, as I faced my 85-year-old mother lamenting and despairing over her aging, I felt compelled to deeply contemplate what "aging" means and whether there is anything I could do, despite living far from her.
Aging does not necessarily have to be perceived as "loss" or "decline"; rather, it can be viewed as a process of deepening new experiences and self-reflection, allowing for the discovery of new aspects of oneself. Perhaps aging can be embraced as "creative time." This photographic work and accompanying poetry were inspired by "Oi-no-Iri Mai" (Dance of Aging) in Noh, a traditional Japanese performing art. In Oi-no-Iri Mai (Dance of Entering Old Age), after the performance has ended, the actor returns to the stage for one last dance, driven by lingering emotion before departing.
Aging does not necessarily have to be perceived as "loss" or "decline"; rather, it can be viewed as a process of deepening new experiences and self-reflection, allowing for the discovery of new aspects of oneself. Perhaps aging can be embraced as "creative time." This photographic work and accompanying poetry were inspired by "Oi-no-Iri Mai" (Dance of Aging) in Noh, a traditional Japanese performing art. In Oi-no-Iri Mai (Dance of Entering Old Age), after the performance has ended, the actor returns to the stage for one last dance, driven by lingering emotion before departing.
In this exhibition, alongside square prints of trees on handmade washi paper, I will display prints of images of nuts following the bloom of flowers and parts of my mother's hands on irregularly shaped, round pink handmade paper.Aging is inevitable, something we all must face. In this era of increased longevity, I would like to share this experience through this artwork with the audience, encouraging them to imagine and reconsider how we approach and experience the aging process.