JPS Gallery recently brought Japanese artist Reina’s solo exhibition “Embrace” to the art space at Landmark Atrium in Hong Kong. Following the “Mythology” exhibition held earlier this year at a gallery in Tokyo, Reina will continue to explore the mysteries of mythology, drawing inspiration from historical images to tell stories of the current relationship between humans and nature. In this exhibition, Reina not only explores an innovative and unique new medium but also creates a series of new characters.
Reina has a deep understanding of myths and legends. She reflects on the relationship between humans and nature through five new character roles: Earthmom, Suntos, Atomos, Dreamrock, and Mee. Earthmom appears in the artist’s work as the mother of the Earth, guarding nature and all living things. It symbolizes love, embrace, and giving. Mee is a person blessed by Earthmom, and the blessings it receives also represent love, embrace, and giving.
Giving leads to harvest, just like the theme of the exhibition, when we “embrace”, we “give love”, and it will bring “harvest”. Through embracing, Reina hopes to bring out the interdependence between human beings and all things. The artist laments that people have always held an arrogant and exploitative attitude towards nature, which will ultimately only result in a heavy price.
In addition to a series of original artworks, the artist also brings her new experiment – hand-painted jade stones. Each hand-painted jade stone featuring the character “Dreamrock” comes with a painting. The colors, composition, and presentation on the jade stones are unique and complement the paintings. Through the creation of canvas and jade stones, the character “Dreamrock” is presented in a more vivid and three-dimensional way. The artist allows the audience to interact with the character in a non-traditional viewing mode, and the jade stones, as natural elements, also echo the concept of this exhibition, hoping to open a dialogue with nature.
In today’s society, it seems that we have forgotten how to coexist with nature. Ancient myths provide us with prophecies and warnings, and Reina hopes that the audience will be inspired by the most primitive concepts. By reshaping ancient mythological stories with contemporary elements, applying the teachings of myths to modern life, we hope that everyone will maintain a humble and grateful attitude, and relearn how to harmoniously coexist with nature.
EMBRACE QUEEN
Date: From now until September 17
Time: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Location: Shops 218-219, 2/F, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Image source and learn more: JPS Gallery
