Purple Magazine
— Purple #43 S/S 2025
The Tokyo Diary Issue
aya takano
interview
PURPLE — How would you define the specificity of Japanese art?
AYA TAKANO — Japan has produced vastly different cultural forms throughout its history — from the asymmetrical and highly expressive artifacts of the Jo ̄mon period that resemble relics from South America 13,000 years ago, to the soft, flowing hiragana script derived from Chinese characters around 1,000 years ago; from the aesthetics of imperfection and wabi-sabi dating back 400 years to the bold cropping and flat perspective of ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the same period. Each age has created its unique cultural expressions. There are countless other examples — too many to list here — that demonstrate the richness of Japan’s historical creativity. I find this history incredibly compelling. However, in the present day, the wave of mass consumerism dominating the world is eroding Japan’s original cultural identity. I believe we must revive the animistic worldview that Japan once naturally embraced.
PURPLE — Does your work relate to the Japanese concept of the “floating world” or ukiyo?
AYA TAKANO — If the floating world is merely the physical world, then my work certainly encompasses it but also includes phenomena beyond this world. I feel the spiritual realm outside the floating world is far vaster, and I aspire to incorporate more of it into my work.
PURPLE — Do monsters, ghosts, and spirits inhabit your artistic world?
AYA TAKANO — Of course, these creatures are embedded in my work — I deeply wish them to live within it.
PURPLE — Can you describe the situation of women in Japan?
AYA TAKANO — For a long time, women have been treated as beings of lower status. In recent years, however, I feel that equality has gradually improved.
ALL ARTWORK COPYRIGHT AYA TAKANO/KAIKAI KIKI CO., LTD., COURTESY OF PERROTIN
