Ayako Rokkaku’s compositions captivate with their liveliness and playfulness. All expression lies in the figures’ oversized eyes and their poses, defined by just a few gestures. Influences from Manga comics are combined with the lightness of Cy Twombly’s works and the intensity of Jackson Pollock.
She places her figures in pastel landscapes or, as in this case, in a space composed of fragmentary dreamscapes. Her compositions evoke an aura of fairy tales, yet her art goes far beyond that. She captures the essence of joy, melancholy, and human connection—themes that resonate universally. Her paintings reflect the encounter between Asian tradition and the Western world. Inspired by her childhood in Japan and her love of European art, she combines Eastern aesthetics with Western expressiveness.
Ayako Rokkaku met these two artists on her first trip to New York. She associates the immediacy of applying paint with fingers, hands, and casually found tools with the spontaneity of childlike creativity, which does not adhere to classical conventions. Her paintings derive a special radiance from the luminous colors that float against airy, light backgrounds. Born in Chiba, Japan, the artist lives and works in Berlin, Porto, and Tokyo. [EH]