Selected Works
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Idol
Idol, 2019Read more -
K-040 Sumo
K-040 Sumo, 2013Read more -
K-002 See No Evil Hear No Evil Say No Evil Three Wise Monkeys
K-002 See No Evil Hear No Evil Say No Evil Three Wise Monkeys, 2010Read more -
Kaoruko
KaorukoRead more -
K-011 Aroma Nostril Hole
K-011 Aroma Nostril Hole, 2011Read more -
K-034 Red String
K-034 Red String, 2013Read more -
K-041 Parallel Worlds
K-041 Parallel Worlds, 2013Read more -
K-035 Stocking
K-035 Stocking, 2013Read more -
Idol
IdolRead more -
K-012 Aroma Hair
K-012 Aroma Hair, 2011Read more -
K-042 Vortex
K-042 Vortex, 2013Read more -
K-038 Solemate
K-038 Solemate, 2013Read more -
K-001 Aroma Exersize
K-001 Aroma Exersize, 2010Read more -
K-033 Open
K-033 Open, 2013Read more -
K-039 Oideyo
K-039 Oideyo, 2013Read more -
Oiran
OiranRead more
A former teen pop star with a burgeoning artistic career, KAORUKO explores the complex identity of Japanese women, caught, as she sees it, between tradition and modernity. She combines references to pop culture and ukiyo-e (traditional Japanese woodblock prints) in her large-scale paintings, in which she depicts languid, lingerie-clad young women in intimate domestic spaces, against silkscreened backgrounds of traditional kimono patterns. The women in KAORUKO’s “Aromako” series (2011), for example, are shown calmly smelling various parts of each other’s bodies, while staring straight out of the canvas, meeting our gaze straight on.
As KAORUKO explains: “I tried to use this type of confrontational imagery to express my thoughts on Japanese culture in its relation to the role that women play, both socially and politically, in [the] present day in contrast to our history.”
VIDEO
Oiran,
Acrylic, Gold Leaf Silver Leaf, 152.4 x 116.8 cm
Nyotaimori, 2018
Acrylic, Gold Leaf, Rice Paper, 330.2 x 139.7 cm
K-042 Vortex, 2013
Acrylic Gold and Silver Leaf on Canvas, 304.8 x 213.3 cm
K-041 Parallel Worlds, 2013
Acrylic Gold Silver and Aluminum Leaf on Canvas, 213.3 x 248.9 cm
K-040 Sumo, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf on Canvas, 204.4 x 254 cm
K-039 Oideyo, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf on Canvas, 213.3 x 274.3 cm
K-038 Solemate, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf on Canvas, 186.6 x 241.3 cm
K-037 Nyotaimori, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf on Canvas Rice Paper, 330.2 x 139.7 cm
K-035 Stocking, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf on Canvas, 213.3 x 274.3 cm
K-034 Red String, 2013
Acrylic Gold Leaf Embroidery Thread on Canvas_, 254 x 187.9 cm
K-033 Open, 2013
Arcylic Gold Leaf on Canvas, 254 x 187.9 cm
K-023 Lotus Foot, 2011
Acrylic, Silk Screen and Sumi on Canvas, 121.9 x 152.4 cm
K-14 Aroma Moon, 2011
Acrylic, Silk Screen and Sumi on Canvas, 152.4 x 284.4 cm
K-012 Aroma Hair, 2011
Acrylic, Silk Screen and Sumi on Canvas, 279.4 x 198.1 cm
K-011 Aroma Nostril Hole, 2011
Acrylic, Silk Screen and Sumi on Canvas, 198.2 x 279.4 cm
K-002 See No Evil Hear No Evil Say No Evil Three Wise Monkeys, 2010
Acrylic, Screen Printing, Sumi and Japanese Paper on Canvas
K-001 Aroma Exersize, 2010
Acrylic, Screen Printing and Sumi on Canvas, 215.9 x 309.8 cm
Idol 1,
Acrylic
Idol,
, 182.8 x 137.1 cm
Idol,
Acrylic ,Silk Screen,Silver Reaf, 147.3 x 254 cm
Kaoruko,
Acrylic, Silk Screen, and Sumi on Canvas, 284.4 x 121.9 cm