I wanted to use sensual colors to express how lives intertwine and interbreed: the mysterious beauty of their exploration with sounds and tongues as well as the hope of new relationships born out of mutual understanding.
Long ago, where Himiko ruled the world like a heavenly maiden, the horse-riding Yamato people tried to create and rule a country with13-year-old Toyo as their symbol. Similar to this, behind the existence of Benten (heavenly maiden) of Enoshima, wasn’t there a power that tried to rule the area with the heavenly maiden as its symbol? Though perceived as villain, the five-headed dragon may be interpreted as speaking for an oppressed and voiceless indigenous people. The celestial maiden is said to be a nameless young girl who was taken hostage in Koshigoe and killed. The theme of this painting, then, may be the mating and coexistence of voiceless beings.
And now, in the same way, aren’t we deceived by existing ideas of justice and evil? Just as there are various ways of looking at folk tales and picture scrolls — such as what is behind justice and who the celestial maiden is — I would like to discover the present while questioning everything and wondering who I am.
「龍と天女」
命どうしが絡み合って交配する様を、音と舌で探り合う怪しい美、お互いが理解しあって新しい関係を生み出しあうような希望を、官能的な色で生み出したいとも思いました。
遠い昔、卑弥呼が天女のように世界を治めた所に、ヤマトの騎馬民族はトヨ13 才を象徴として国をつくり統治しようとしました。このように、江ノ島の弁天（天女）という存在の背後には、天女を象徴として統治しようとする権力があったのではないか。五頭龍を悪者にみたてているが、実は先住民族であり、虐げられ、声なき声をあげていたのかもしれない。天女は、腰越の人質となって殺された名もなき幼女としており、この絵のテーマは、声なきものどうしの交配、共生なのかもしれません。
そして今、同じように、既存の正義と悪に、惑わされてはいないだろうか。民話、絵巻も多様な見方があるように、正義の裏にあるものは何か、天女は誰なのか。自分は何者なのだろうと 全てを疑いながら、今を発見してゆきたいと思います。
“Dragon and Heavenly Maiden”
I wanted to use sensual colors to express how lives intertwine and interbreed: the mysterious beauty of their exploration with sounds and tongues as well as the hope of new relationships born out of mutual understanding.
Long ago, where Himiko ruled the world like a heavenly maiden, the horse-riding Yamato people tried to create and rule a country with13-year-old Toyo as their symbol. Similar to this, behind the existence of Benten (heavenly maiden) of Enoshima, wasn’t there a power that tried to rule the area with the heavenly maiden as its symbol? Though perceived as villain, the five-headed dragon may be interpreted as speaking for an oppressed and voiceless indigenous people. The celestial maiden is said to be a nameless young girl who was taken hostage in Koshigoe and killed. The theme of this painting, then, may be the mating and coexistence of voiceless beings.
And now, in the same way, aren’t we deceived by existing ideas of justice and evil? Just as there are various ways of looking at folk tales and picture scrolls — such as what is behind justice and who the celestial maiden is — I would like to discover the present while questioning everything and wondering who I am.
(英訳・松永京子氏)