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拍品专文
Reveling in Tomoko Konoike's creations beckons the attention of every bodily sensation and deeply pulls on memories of childhood adventures. Every individual piece she crafts represents but one fraction of her greater creative universe concentrated with essential recurring images and subjects equally essential to human history. Perhaps most representative of this universe is Konoike's "Chapters" which in four stages illustrate the cycle of the universe and humanity with an unparalleled vivacity. Originally meant to be viewed in reverse order from Chapter Four to Chapter One, the purposefully ambiguous first and last chapter prompt curiosity as to what the implications of a reversed world history signifies and whether the scientific laws and rational reasoning which governs current understanding of life, can be challenged. Stretched before your eyes in a six metered panorama, Chapter Three "Wreck" (Lot 1032), the first major piece by Tomoko Konoike to be presented at any auction, is breathtaking in its ability to transport you to a hidden corner of the world, deep inside the wilderness of her mind touched with magic and infinite possibilities.
The viewer is said to be an "inter-traveller", a term coined by the artist, who breezes through worlds at his or her own accord, in such a way as to encourage examining present reality with alternate sensitivity. When brought before Chapter Three "Wreck" , the context of a forest seems an expected setting for paranormal activity to take place. For centuries mythology and folklore has marked the forests as a place where nymphs, unicorns and mystical creatures have said to exist in conjunction to the material world outside. It is equally a place of nourishment and energy in both the scientific characterization of oxygen and refuge for animals. Additionally, it is a mystical place of tranquility and spiritual awakening told in stories such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and a place for scholarly hermits of China to study in modern history. It is within this landscape that Konoike has interjected graceful wolf-human hybrids euphorically dancing to an invisible tune, guided by the powerful thumping of the giant heart.
The wolves depicted in melodic unison with the bodies are very natural to Konoike; the wolves are not predatory but in fact nurturing and have historically been represented as mothers in the tale of Romulus and Remus and as a guardian in Princess Mononoke. This inexplicable attraction to wolves prompts Konoike to render them in a wondrous and friendly light, opposing the stereotype that all wolves are evil and conniving. The deep entanglement of nature, animal and human compels the viewer to consider how their relationship has changed in recent centuries. Has humanity betrayed the existing balance between animals and humans, natural environment and industrialization? The answer seems to lie in the double edged imagery hidden in the moon-shaped opening in the sky which is in actuality steel engineering and the small 'fireflies' that are miniscule daggers. These elements are clear representations of industrialization and warfare yet Konoike's delicate and fine rendering removes negative connotations as the 'moon' and 'fireflies' in fact shed light on the happenings within the dark surroundings. In this chapter, all the elements seem to peacefully coexist and undeniably, the engorged heart is the overwhelming life force. Like the moon, all the elements slowly gravitate towards the forest center, further drawing the viewer's eye towards the heart. Vigorously pulsating, perhaps the heart signifies the introduction of love and compassion in the third stage of the universe's creation.
In rendering her works with fine lines, a skill undoubtedly brought forth from her major in classical Japanese painting, the realism promoted in this fantastical world is striking and believable, leading to the very questioning of the 'big bang' formation of our universe. Employing intoxicating colors, Konoike paints the individuals with attentive details whereupon the fur of the wolves seems warm to the touch, the ferns rough yet fragrant and the heart firm and gelatinous. The columnar trees scattered throughout our line of sight and deliberate cropping of the tree canopies adds an element of spontaneity as if the viewer stumbled upon the scene on an evening stroll. For a split second, the gracious movements in the sky seem to pause as we walk by, demonstrating Konoike's uncanny ability to add a fourth dimension to this alternate reality.
Chapter Three "Wreck" does not represent a concrete, singular, finite composition rather it is a work whose significance will continuously accumulate and transform as Konoike's oeuvre develops. Konoike does not use these recurring themes consciously to promote consistency in her works but rather, she finds comfort in the motifs as they genuinely please her. It is perhaps this unconscious amalgamation of powerful, representative icons of our childhood, scientific and human evolution that makes her work so profound and relevant. Her work cultivates independent viewing and personal interpretation that encourages a world we might have forgotten many years ago. Constantly pushing our imagination and sense of adventure we venture directly in a channel of communication with Konoike, in dialogue to discuss the intricacies of her vision. In addition to its exhibition in four different shows, Chapter Three "Wreck" has been documented in over fifteen books and articles including BT magazine of Japan, ArtAsiaPacific emagazin Warriors of Art, A Guide to Contemporary Japanese Artists and Asahi shimbun of Japan, a testament to the prominence of this work for the artist and Japanese contemporary art.
The viewer is said to be an "inter-traveller", a term coined by the artist, who breezes through worlds at his or her own accord, in such a way as to encourage examining present reality with alternate sensitivity. When brought before Chapter Three "Wreck" , the context of a forest seems an expected setting for paranormal activity to take place. For centuries mythology and folklore has marked the forests as a place where nymphs, unicorns and mystical creatures have said to exist in conjunction to the material world outside. It is equally a place of nourishment and energy in both the scientific characterization of oxygen and refuge for animals. Additionally, it is a mystical place of tranquility and spiritual awakening told in stories such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and a place for scholarly hermits of China to study in modern history. It is within this landscape that Konoike has interjected graceful wolf-human hybrids euphorically dancing to an invisible tune, guided by the powerful thumping of the giant heart.
The wolves depicted in melodic unison with the bodies are very natural to Konoike; the wolves are not predatory but in fact nurturing and have historically been represented as mothers in the tale of Romulus and Remus and as a guardian in Princess Mononoke. This inexplicable attraction to wolves prompts Konoike to render them in a wondrous and friendly light, opposing the stereotype that all wolves are evil and conniving. The deep entanglement of nature, animal and human compels the viewer to consider how their relationship has changed in recent centuries. Has humanity betrayed the existing balance between animals and humans, natural environment and industrialization? The answer seems to lie in the double edged imagery hidden in the moon-shaped opening in the sky which is in actuality steel engineering and the small 'fireflies' that are miniscule daggers. These elements are clear representations of industrialization and warfare yet Konoike's delicate and fine rendering removes negative connotations as the 'moon' and 'fireflies' in fact shed light on the happenings within the dark surroundings. In this chapter, all the elements seem to peacefully coexist and undeniably, the engorged heart is the overwhelming life force. Like the moon, all the elements slowly gravitate towards the forest center, further drawing the viewer's eye towards the heart. Vigorously pulsating, perhaps the heart signifies the introduction of love and compassion in the third stage of the universe's creation.
In rendering her works with fine lines, a skill undoubtedly brought forth from her major in classical Japanese painting, the realism promoted in this fantastical world is striking and believable, leading to the very questioning of the 'big bang' formation of our universe. Employing intoxicating colors, Konoike paints the individuals with attentive details whereupon the fur of the wolves seems warm to the touch, the ferns rough yet fragrant and the heart firm and gelatinous. The columnar trees scattered throughout our line of sight and deliberate cropping of the tree canopies adds an element of spontaneity as if the viewer stumbled upon the scene on an evening stroll. For a split second, the gracious movements in the sky seem to pause as we walk by, demonstrating Konoike's uncanny ability to add a fourth dimension to this alternate reality.
Chapter Three "Wreck" does not represent a concrete, singular, finite composition rather it is a work whose significance will continuously accumulate and transform as Konoike's oeuvre develops. Konoike does not use these recurring themes consciously to promote consistency in her works but rather, she finds comfort in the motifs as they genuinely please her. It is perhaps this unconscious amalgamation of powerful, representative icons of our childhood, scientific and human evolution that makes her work so profound and relevant. Her work cultivates independent viewing and personal interpretation that encourages a world we might have forgotten many years ago. Constantly pushing our imagination and sense of adventure we venture directly in a channel of communication with Konoike, in dialogue to discuss the intricacies of her vision. In addition to its exhibition in four different shows, Chapter Three "Wreck" has been documented in over fifteen books and articles including BT magazine of Japan, ArtAsiaPacific emagazin Warriors of Art, A Guide to Contemporary Japanese Artists and Asahi shimbun of Japan, a testament to the prominence of this work for the artist and Japanese contemporary art.