Japanese artist Takano Aya’s new exhibition “Full of Hong Kong Flavor”! The works intricately present local life culture!

Aya Takano “april, dragon dance, look, there are mysterious clouds” 2021
Oil on canvas 80 x 100 cm ©2021 Aya Takano / Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Image provided by Beaudoin.

Beaudoin presents a new solo exhibition by Japanese artist Takano Aya, “起、境界域、ego”, showcasing the artist’s new creations for this year. Using Hong Kong life as inspiration, she has created 10 oil paintings and 24 paper works. Takano Aya’s classic dreamlike figures have arrived in Hong Kong, showcasing to the audience extraordinary local life anecdotes from daily life, traditional customs, festivals, and urban landscapes!

As a disciple of Takashi Murakami, Chao Ping’s style has always been a distinctive feature of Ayano Takano’s work. The characters she depicts are innocent and full of vitality, wandering between the city and nature, showcasing the unique geographical features of Hong Kong. With hiking in the countryside becoming a normal part of our lives during the pandemic, Ayano Takano captures the beautiful scenery of the mountains and clear flowing water on canvas with a gentle touch, documenting the lush green mountains and clear streams of Hong Kong.

Takano Aya uses a fluid brushstroke to depict the sky, even flying birds and auspicious clouds, creating a more three-dimensional visual effect. In addition, Takano Aya incorporates real existing architecture into her works, such as highly realistic Hong Kong street scenes, signs, and lighting elements, making the works more relatable.

Takano Aya is good at depicting city details, showing various scenes of life in her small-scale manga works. Near the Prince Edward Flower Market, the goldfish stalls have neatly arranged water-filled plastic bags, evoking memories of our childhood. Scenes of people casually dining in cha chaan tengs, holding coins in their hands, leaning against the back of a tram, all closely mirror our lives.

Festival customs are also a major focus in the exhibition. Takano Aya incorporates elements of religious celebrations into her creations, from eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival to burning clothes during the Ghost Festival, lion dance celebrations, and bag-snatching. Artists depict various authentic traditional customs, allowing people to rediscover those precious traditions that are almost abandoned by us.

Ayako Takano’s depiction of character actions and background details is very subtle, with the characters in the painting exuding a sense of mystery. The characters’ outlines are drawn with fine lines, without excessive facial expressions, conveying their emotions mainly through subtle changes in color. The playful characters in her work play and enjoy themselves in the city, with their expressions and body language revealing a carefree and independent attitude, as if they have the look of young people today, successfully capturing the audience’s attention.

Ayano Takano expresses her love for Hong Kong in her joyful works, where we can all find reflections of our own lives in her paintings. To find out how this Japanese artist captures such a down-to-earth Hong Kong culture, be sure to visit the exhibition and discover the local sentiments that resonate with you!

Ayane Takano: “Awakening, Boundary, Ego” Exhibition
Date: From now until July 24
Time: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Location: Room 807, K11 ATELIER Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

^{Image provided by: Perrotin (Hong Kong)}