The Language of Symbols
The motifs, symbols, and colors that appear throughout my work.
Across my paintings, drawings, ceramics, and installations, certain motifs appear again and again—animals, crowns, mirrors, patterns, and colors.
They are not just decorative elements, but symbols that carry memories, questions, and stories. Here I share the meanings behind them.
CONTENTS
Human Symbols
- Why Wings?
- Why Eyes?
- Why Crowns?
- Why Mirrors?
- Why Patterns?
- Why Ornament?
Color as Symbol
- Why Blue?
- Why Gold?
Living Beings
Animals and plants have long accompanied human life. In my work, they appear as companions, messengers, or sometimes as alter egos, reflecting our emotions and relationships with the natural world.
Why Animals?
The reason animals appear in my work is not because I wish to depict nature, but because I want people to project their own thoughts and feelings onto expression-less animals. Even when wearing full-face animal masks, they are still human beings just like us. We cannot glimpse the hearts hidden beneath the masks. Naturally, we find ourselves facing a gaze devoid of its own will. To gaze into those flat eyes, devoid of anger or joy, is nothing less than facing a mirror into which we project and reflect our own identity and the roles we play in our daily lives.
Why Birds?
Birds inhabit the space between the earth and the sky. Across culture, birds are regarded as symbols of freedom and transformation. In my ‘Birdman’ series, birds are more than just animals.
Incidentally, you may be familiar with Choju-giga, Japan’s oldest manga. The bird-man and frog-man created here in the artworks are modelled with respect on the protagonists of these manga, which first appeared as far back as the 12th century, and serve as a tribute to them. In this way, by blurring and obscuring the boundaries between humans and birds and other living creatures, whilst simultaneously capturing human expressions, these figures must include a far more subtle and complex message inside of themselves, than they did when they were merely human.
Why Frogs?
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Why Insects?
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Why Flowers?
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Why Trees?
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Human Symbols
Crowns, wings, eyes, mirrors, and patterns—these symbols represent ideas we create about ourselves and the world. They speak of power, beauty, desire, and the mysteries of identity.
Why Wings?
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Why Eyes?
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Why Crowns?
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Why Mirrors?
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Why Patterns?
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Why Ornament?
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Color as Symbol
Colors are never just colors. Blue and gold, in particular, carry histories and emotions that connect different cultures and times. They create mood, harmony, and contrast in my work.
Why Blue?
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Why Gold?
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The studio is much more than a place where paintings are made. It is where ideas remain unfinished, where mistakes become discoveries, and where ordinary objects slowly transform into stories. Surrounded by familiar tools, colors, notebooks, and small everyday treasures, I find myself returning to the simple joy of making. Every object carries a memory. Every drawing begins with a single line.
