Aya Takano - 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale Hong Kong Saturday, November 25, 2017 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Galerie Perrotin, Hong Kong
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    Aya Takano’s oeuvre is one permanently suspended in various nebulous, oneiric realms, populated by a revolving troupe of doe-eyed, naïve, child-like figures. Painted in 2011, I Found A New Road is composed on a crescent moon-shaped canvas, inducing the viewer into a dreamlike state. At first glance, we are drawn to the portrait of a silver-haired female figure entranced by a ghostly and mythical creature at the foreground of the composition. While Takano does not clearly delineate space, time, or perspective, our eye naturally follows the continuous narrative of the female figure engaged in activities of leisure, from drinking a can of soda to riding a bicycle. The artist establishes an ethereal tone by placing the female figure into this timeless space against soft hues of pink, blue, and yellow. Takano further renders a palpable atmosphere through her application of acrylic paint and quick brushstrokes, which have a pastel, sketch-like quality that demonstrates her influences from Japanese manga and illustration.

    I Found A New Road reflects characteristics of the contemporary Japanese Superflat art movement, through which artists such as Takano and Takashi Murakami hope to draw attention to Japan’s cultural losses, post-World War II to commercialisation and the Western world. Takano’s composition progresses from a dream to quotidian activities to industrialisation at the upper tip of the crescent where we can identify archetypal features of an urbanised world - ship, car, cellular tower, and highway ramps. While offering us a glimpse into her imagination, this work also suggests Takano’s perception and perhaps criticism of society’s burgeoning demands in the modern age.

Property of an Important Private Collector

7

I Found A New Road

2011
signed and dated '2011 Aya Takano' on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
200 x 214.3 cm (78 3/4 x 84 3/8 in.)
Painted in 2011.

Estimate
HK$500,000 - 800,000 
€55,200-88,300
$64,100-103,000

Sold for HK$562,500

Contact Specialist
Jonathan Crockett
Deputy Chairman, Asia and Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Asia
+852 2318 2023

Sandy Ma
Specialist, Head of Evening Sale
+852 2318 2025

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+852 2318 2000

20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale

Hong Kong Auction 26 November 2017