Tree portraits
The arboreal portraits displayed here indeed represent the current condition of each tree.
However, by using GPS codes which is on the middle of each frame, future generations will also be able to identify and recognize them, thus observing their appearance and vegetative condition in the years to come.
They might have grown further, but in some cases, they might have been felled, or the forest could have even disappeared altogether due to anthropogenic pressure on the relevant territory.
Tobusatate
In Japan, there exists a specific ceremony known as "Tobusatate", which is celebrated
when a tree is felled to provide timber for the construction of a shrine or a torii,
the characteristic gate that marks the entrance to a sacred area.
The ritual involves taking a branch from the top of the tree and inserting it into the center of the main tree trunk.
Finally, thanks are given to the tree for allowing its use.
Part of the artworks are inspired by this ritual:
the painting is applied onto sections of Japanese cypress - hinoki – and the composition is calibrated from the center of the trunk.
Nightfall
Drawn into its tranquil yet eerie atmosphere,
there are moments when the forest feels like an entirely different world.
While conducting research, I have experienced the quiet fear that comes with being surrounded by the night forest—
and I have come to cherish the serene introspection that accompanies it.
A few years ago, after an illness, I deeply confronted my fear of death.
The landscapes I create feel as though they glimpse the human world from within the dark,
spiritual realm of the forest, as if existing in the space between the two.
And in contrast to the fear of the dark,
there is the glow of human life glimpsed through the shadowed forest—
a light that brings comfort and hope, illuminating the path ahead.
Empathy towards Things
Gold is the symbol of wealth, which is also never permanent,
through life experiences our soul is enriched more and more
so that our personality is enriched and modified over time as clouds are never stable but in constant motion.
"Empathy towards Things" is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence (mujō), or transience of things,
and both a transient gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing as well as a longer,
deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life.
Wandering seasons
Seasons passing, colors waning and sounds merging towards a renewed harmony have always, across all cultures, been a source both of art inspiration through its myriad of expressions and of deep emotions for souls open to the world’s wonders.
The Japanese love of nature and its manifestations is well recognized.
Things fleeting, seasons passing and cosmic life, in short the feeling of “impermanence” that renders the spiritual equation so unique and fascinating, is a deep felt sentiment within the Soul of Japan.
Ephemeral moment
The instant in which the color of the twilight strikes and impresses us momentarily and
every shade changes continuously without anything stopping it until nightfall.
So we just have to admire every single moment of it.
In contrast to so much impermanence, however, we find the stars, the moon, and four seasons that are always present in our lives.
In conclusion, life is made up of permanent and temporary things which are both beautiful and harmonious at the same time. We should enjoy and admire every moment of it.
