Acrylic on cardboard

61 x 94 cm. 24 × 37 in.

PROVENANCE
Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by an electronic receipt issued by Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam

A Colourful Statement of Self!
Ayako Rokkaku's Classic Work on Paper Debut at Auction

Although she never attended an art school, Ayako Rokkaku has shown great artistic talent since she was a child. In 2003, she won a prize at the GEISAI Art Festival organized by Takashi Murakami, and then won prizes at the 2006 and 2007 GEISAI Art Festivals, confirming her talents in the art world. Her works have been exhibited in Japan, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The dreamy and childlike girls in her paintings are glittering on the stage of art.

Ayako Rokkaku's innate delicacy, observation, and immersion in Japanese anime culture have resulted in her intuitive graffiti paintings, which are characterized by her distinctive personality. Some people compare her to Yoshitomo Nara, but Rokaku's “improvisational hand-painting” and unique “girlishness” are the most precious features of her works. In this auction, we present Untitled (Lot 18), created in 2012, which is making its debut at auction, as well as Untitled ARC21-3 (Lot 19), a one-of-a-kind hand-painted sculpture by the artist, which is extremely rare, showing the artist's casual and childlike vocabulary, which is infectious and appealing to the mind.

The Warm, Infinitive Imagination

Untitled is made of the artist's signature corrugated paper with a natural texture. Ayako Rokkaku draws her most famous wide-eyed girl, using her fingers as brushes in a GUTAI-like improvisational style.

Her youthful high ponytail is tied with a colourful ringlet, and a small white flower is pinned to the chest of her bright red dress, which is a reflection of her innocence. The girl's arms and legs are all spread out, her fingers open as if she is ready to face the unknown and embrace the various encounters she will have in her life to come. Below is a pink rabbit leading the girl towards a colourful paradise. Ayako Rokkaku gives colourful traces with a wild imagination, creating a sense of unadorned nature that is as pure and sincere as a child's dream, evoking the viewer's longing for beauty. The girl and the animals share equal happiness under the same sky just like what the artist dreams of, that touches the heart of every viewer with the most simple language.

Rebellion of the Corolla

Back in 2021, already recognized by the market, Ayako Rokkaku once again challenged herself by building and painting nine 20cm ceramic sculptures. Untitled ARC21-3 in this auction is a representative of the collection. In this work, she has gone against the sweet and gentle image of a young girl in traditional art, with her eyes slightly stunned, looking at the viewer with suspicion, and questioning the world with a rebellious spirit - this is like a projection of the artist's inner world, she is breaking the “traditional rules” of the art world with a new power and words that belongs to herself. Art is no longer something that is only displayed in museums, something that must be “flawless”, but something that is right next to us and can possess a variety of complex emotions in addition to a precise sense of aesthetics. The hand-coloured process of creation and the distinctive characters echo a new, self-emphasized aesthetic, which is precisely the self-proclamation of Generation Z!

Price estimate:
HKD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 51,300 – 76,900