Naka 中
These works are the product of 6-week artist’s residency at Shiro Oni, in Gunma, Japan. During my stay, I was drawn to the notion of thresholds in japanese culture. In particular the word 中 (Naka), which can mean in-between/ within/ inside, and how this manifests in vague boundaries in Japanese buildings.
The main work is a series of four pencil drawings which are section cuts through Kinuya - a former silk shop and residence which I spent time in during my stay. They depict my journey through the various thresholds of the building, as I make my way from the street to the Tokonoma (alcove). On this journey, I experience a transition from outside to inside, public to private, light to dark, and dirty to clean.
These drawings try to capture the practical purposes of these thresholds - for example the higher level of the tatami to the doma, which allows dirt to move downwards, but also the more ritualistic purposes - such as the low door which necessitates the visitor to bow on entering.