For me, whether it's the temperature or the warmth of the people, Taiwan is a country warmer than Japan. I will take this warmth with me back to Japan. And every time I leave, it's another farewell.
– Asano Ayaka
Early spring seems to imply that certain things have come to a season of farewell and hope. April is the graduation season in Japan, a ritual that many young students go through. Graduation ceremonies at Japanese universities usually take place in the last week of March. The moment of farewell in spring marks the end of academic pursuits and the beginning of new challenges in the next stage of life.
This February, Japanese artist Asano Ayaka will embark on a residency program at the I-JI Art Space in Taichung, Taiwan, and hold her first solo exhibition in Taiwan, invited by I-JI Art. The timing coincides with the graduation season in Japan. The artist will embrace a completely new creative environment and experience new adventures and courage in an unfamiliar setting. Through the upcoming series of artworks, she hopes to capture the energy that Taiwan's land brings her, as well as the passion and warmth of the people, establishing a strong emotional connection between Japan and Taiwan.
Asano excels in using her creations to commemorate and depict the emotional interactions among people, events, and objects in her daily life. For her, creation is like taking notes of her everyday life. Everyday landscapes, travel tickets, her own face, floor plans of her residence, blessings from friends, expressions of colleagues at school, wrapping paper of gifts, fragments of everyday life... These most ordinary objects often provide her with a continuous source of inspiration for her creations, and she skillfully constructs interesting stories based on these clues.
The series of artworks exhibited this time are composed of life materials collected by Asano in Japan and Taiwan. She collages and presses them with a steel press machine, giving these imprints a sense of closeness and emotion. They will be like gifts presented by the artist to her Taiwanese friends. These small personal feelings carry a sweet sense of happiness, whether it's sadness, frustration, gratitude, or encouragement. These artworks serve as records and memorials of her experiences in the new environment. Through her creations, the artist shares the beauty of the stories and provides each viewer with a small moment of joy to appreciate.