ShugoArts

------------------------------------------------------------

 

“I Wanted to See You”

Although I could not recognize it for a long time
There is a feeling that I really care about
Always, in my heart

My instinct makes a jittery sound
Unable to resist, it starts running

That feeling is rather simple
But very big and strong
I realized it by making paintings

Even the beasts that have awakened from hibernation
And the plants that chase the sun
And those of us who have not been able to see the people we wanted to see
We have been looking for warmth for a long time

As another season comes
I want to tell this feeling honestly
To you who live above the sky
To you who will be in my life in the future
To you who are closest to me
And to myself as well

“I wanted to see you”

I will see the future with my own hands

 

May 2023 Aki Kondo

 

---

 

Aki Kondo has been painting what she wants to see since her childhood. Through painting, she has been able to encounter her imagination in the image while being moved and understanding the world simultaneously. For Kondo, painting has been a place where her heart returns. Hence, she feels uneasy when faced with a blank canvas with nothing painted on it. She wonders if she can properly depict the world she wants to see, a world that is warm and welcoming. It is a lone struggle. Kondo superimposes this process of repetition on the real world. Our hearts are suppressed by long, harsh ordeals. Still, like melting snow, the desire to meet someone deep inside our hearts someday overflows. And if we can realize and say aloud that we have been wanting to see someone, that in itself can be a great healing experience.

This exhibition consists of 18 new works, including a large 3.6-meter work. Everything that appears in her paintings, including humans, animals, plants and stuffed animals, has the desire to see someone. It can be their families, friends or the invisible or even themselves from the past or in the future.

Please enjoy new artworks by Aki Kondo whose art practice keeps evolving ever more powerfully.

 

May 2023 ShugoArts

 

---

 

Aki KONDO  I Wanted to See You
Date: Saturday, 10 June – Saturday, 22 July 2023
Venue: ShugoArts
Hours: 11am – 6pm, Closed on Sun, Mon and Public Holidays
Curated by Minako Ishii

Publication information
Launching in this summer
Publisher: Little More
This book contains 84 works on paper by Kondo.

 

---

 

Top image: Aki KONDO, I Love You, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 227.3×363.6cm