黑料不打烊

Perrotin New York is pleased to present "Unio Mystica", Aya Takano鈥檚 first solo exhibition at the New York gallery. The artist exhibits 8 oil paintings, more than 50 drawings, 1 skateboard deck painting, and 1 paper clay sculpture, all of which explore sexuality as an expression of the union between the soul and the divine.

Aya Takano has enjoyed an illustrious career as a painter, writer, illustrator, and manga artist. She is known for her wide-eyed female figures who seem to float through space, unrestrained by the laws of gravity. Redness in their joints and cheeks convey a sense of heightened sensitivity and continuing growth, suggesting they exist in the liminal state between childhood and adulthood when anything is possible. Takano has been deeply inspired by the culture of mysticism since she was very young, and brings deep insight to her paintings through her quest to find the truth and beauty of all things. She explains, 鈥渕oments that seemed to allow me that were, for example: seeing sunlight shine through the leaves as I walk down a street; the ecstatic shapes and colors of clouds; the unexpected sound of music; a phrase in a book; a shining moment of shared laughter; or that mysterious intoxicated spiritual dimension which alcohol can invite. In those moments, I touch upon apertures in the universe.鈥�

The eight oil paintings presented in "Unio Mystica" illustrate girls and animals freely interacting in spiritual union. The fantastical landscapes in which they are placed--near the ocean, in front of shops, in a restaurant, and in a metropolis--add an aspect of the otherworldly while also showcasing something familiar. Even though Takano depicts the sexual embrace between these girls and many marvelous creatures, it is only a device to convey the ability of living beings to intermingle with various kinds of energy manifest in the universe. 鈥淚t may be that the  takes the form of a lion,鈥� notes Aya Takano, 鈥渋n the mythological world, there are no distinctions between humans and animals.鈥� While the life forces that the girls encounter are powerful, the paintings reveal a sense of tenderness; the tigers, for instance, do not scratch, and all beings have harmonious expressions of contentment and ease.