Acrylic on canvas

48.5 × 29cm. 19 1/8 × 11 3/8 in.

Dated and signed in English on the reverse
EXHIBITED
23 Sep – 14 Nov 2010, Aya Takano, Museum Frieder Burda, Baden–Baden

PROVENANCE
Perrotin Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired directly by present important Asian collector from the above

A Romance is a Carnival of Imagination
Aya Takano's Fantasia

Japanese artist Aya Takano presents her own observations and interpretations of the Otaku and Manga culture prevalent in Japan from a unique female perspective. Her works are derived from the escapism of Japan's post-war turbulent seventies and the fantasy world of girls' Manga. The characters in her paintings possess sexual innuendo, also exuding the mysterious and mixed beauty of the classical Japanese romance novel The Tale of Genji. Wheel of Fortune——Luck is an excellent example.

The work is from the artist's “Tarot” series that launched in 2010, in which Aya Takano reinterprets the “oracles” of the ancient Western mystical symbols of the Tarot in her own personal drawing. The series was first presented in 2010 in her solo exhibition at the Museum Frieder Burda.

The Sun and the Moon Turning the Wheel of Fortune

In the Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune represents change and progress. In Aya's work, “creativity” turns into the infinite blue sky, and “the force of formation” becomes a ray of flying red circle, representing the vigorousness. The “material world” is transformed into a pink evening sunset, a peek of the scenery of the “human world”. The rotation of destiny with the sparkling of fire and lightning begins.

Revelry in Parallel Universe

Visually, a topless pink-haired girl at the top left of the painting is the visual center, showing a mysterious and exotic power. The girl with long black hair in the bottom right corner is dressed in a white robe, echoing the traditional Japanese aesthetic. The two are surrounded by exotic animals, suggesting they are sailing ship on a long journey. The two maidens symbolize two distinctive ancient civilizations, and the maidens' desire to fly is an expression of exploration of the world and the unknown.

Aya Takano's astonishing imagination is set in a vast universe beyond time and space, creating a feverish fantasy of a world beyond parallel universe. One cannot help but leap into the fantasy of beauty, life, the universe and surrealism that Aya presents.

Price estimate:
HKD: 90,000 - 150,000
USD: 11,600 - 19,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 108,000