ARTISTS
Ayako Rokkaku: Close to Your Treasure
From August 16 to November 2, 2025, the Long Museum (Chongqing) will present 鈥淐lose to Your Treasure,鈥� the second major solo exhibition in China by Japanese artist Ayako Rokkaku. The show features more than 130 works created since 2006. Among the highlights are large-scale paintings where her signature wide-eyed girls emerge from dazzling, vibrant color fields; an 鈥淐osmos in Battle鈥� series on irregularly shaped canvases; the 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series painted on traditional wooden vessels; and the artist鈥檚 first sculptures in bronze. Of particular note are the artist鈥檚 latest works produced during her 2025 residency in Jingdezhen, where she immersed herself in the region鈥檚 traditional ceramic techniques. There, she decorated oversized porcelain plates using traditional mineral pigments and hand-molded sculptural pieces. The exhibition also debuts 鈥淭ea monster set,鈥� a monumental sculptural installation inspired by Chinese tea culture and the spirit of its vessels. The work combines fabrics sourced from Chongqing鈥檚 Chaotianmen market and Japan, brought together in a richly textured collage.
This exhibition showcases a series of Ayako Rokkaku鈥檚 signature works featuring young girls as central figures. With oversized eyes reminiscent of Japanese manga and slightly disproportionate limbs, these girls are surrounded by layers of fluorescent colors鈥攕tanding in blooming flower fields, flying through the sky, or floating on multicolored clouds. Their presence is stylish and cute, romantic and dreamlike. Rokkaku never begins with sketches. Instead, she paints directly with her hands, applying color intuitively onto the canvas. Guided by the physical sensation of her fingertips and the vibrancy of color, she draws out these wandering girls from abstract landscapes. The girls, intertwined with overlapping hues, evoke an emotional resonance. They command the viewer鈥檚 gaze, while the flowing, layered colors heighten the energy of the work. 鈥淚n both constant escape and endless pursuit,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hose emotions coexist鈥攁nd it鈥檚 that tension that gives the painting its quiet push forward, a sense of taking one small step ahead.鈥�
The exhibition also features a body of work from 2020 in which Rokkaku experimented with irregularly shaped canvases鈥攎ost notably her 鈥淐osmos in Battle鈥� series鈥攁s well as the newly created 鈥淪tarry鈥� series, made specifically for this show. In these pieces, her signature girls appear aboard fantastical spaceships, with the contours of the canvases shifting accordingly, giving the impression that they鈥檙e effortlessly floating across the gallery walls. Rokkaku brings rhythm and energy into perfect harmony, unifying background and character. The result is a vivid sense of weightless freedom, as if her figures have broken free from gravity and are drifting through space with playful ease.
The 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series, debut bronze sculptures, and new ceramic and textile installations created in Jingdezhen mark a deeper exploration of materials in Rokkaku鈥檚 practice鈥攅xtending her art from two dimensions into three. In the 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series, Rokkaku paints directly onto handcrafted wooden vessels made by traditional artisans. The imagery wraps around the surface in a seamless 360-degree flow, fusing the warmth of natural wood with her colorful, carefree girls. The bronze sculptures, presented for the first time, strip away her signature color palette, drawing attention to the figures themselves and inviting reflection on the inner worlds behind each expression. Rokkaku first experimented with bringing her two-dimensional characters into sculptural form in 2011 at Kunsthal Rotterdam, and she has remained drawn to three-dimensional work ever since. These new pieces can be seen as both a continuation and expansion of that early curiosity. For Rokkaku, there are no boundaries between painting and sculpture. She approaches each new material with openness and enthusiasm, always pushing forward鈥攃rossing thresholds, embracing change, and allowing the pure joy of creation to guide her path.
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From August 16 to November 2, 2025, the Long Museum (Chongqing) will present 鈥淐lose to Your Treasure,鈥� the second major solo exhibition in China by Japanese artist Ayako Rokkaku. The show features more than 130 works created since 2006. Among the highlights are large-scale paintings where her signature wide-eyed girls emerge from dazzling, vibrant color fields; an 鈥淐osmos in Battle鈥� series on irregularly shaped canvases; the 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series painted on traditional wooden vessels; and the artist鈥檚 first sculptures in bronze. Of particular note are the artist鈥檚 latest works produced during her 2025 residency in Jingdezhen, where she immersed herself in the region鈥檚 traditional ceramic techniques. There, she decorated oversized porcelain plates using traditional mineral pigments and hand-molded sculptural pieces. The exhibition also debuts 鈥淭ea monster set,鈥� a monumental sculptural installation inspired by Chinese tea culture and the spirit of its vessels. The work combines fabrics sourced from Chongqing鈥檚 Chaotianmen market and Japan, brought together in a richly textured collage.
This exhibition showcases a series of Ayako Rokkaku鈥檚 signature works featuring young girls as central figures. With oversized eyes reminiscent of Japanese manga and slightly disproportionate limbs, these girls are surrounded by layers of fluorescent colors鈥攕tanding in blooming flower fields, flying through the sky, or floating on multicolored clouds. Their presence is stylish and cute, romantic and dreamlike. Rokkaku never begins with sketches. Instead, she paints directly with her hands, applying color intuitively onto the canvas. Guided by the physical sensation of her fingertips and the vibrancy of color, she draws out these wandering girls from abstract landscapes. The girls, intertwined with overlapping hues, evoke an emotional resonance. They command the viewer鈥檚 gaze, while the flowing, layered colors heighten the energy of the work. 鈥淚n both constant escape and endless pursuit,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hose emotions coexist鈥攁nd it鈥檚 that tension that gives the painting its quiet push forward, a sense of taking one small step ahead.鈥�
The exhibition also features a body of work from 2020 in which Rokkaku experimented with irregularly shaped canvases鈥攎ost notably her 鈥淐osmos in Battle鈥� series鈥攁s well as the newly created 鈥淪tarry鈥� series, made specifically for this show. In these pieces, her signature girls appear aboard fantastical spaceships, with the contours of the canvases shifting accordingly, giving the impression that they鈥檙e effortlessly floating across the gallery walls. Rokkaku brings rhythm and energy into perfect harmony, unifying background and character. The result is a vivid sense of weightless freedom, as if her figures have broken free from gravity and are drifting through space with playful ease.
The 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series, debut bronze sculptures, and new ceramic and textile installations created in Jingdezhen mark a deeper exploration of materials in Rokkaku鈥檚 practice鈥攅xtending her art from two dimensions into three. In the 鈥淔lower Vase鈥� series, Rokkaku paints directly onto handcrafted wooden vessels made by traditional artisans. The imagery wraps around the surface in a seamless 360-degree flow, fusing the warmth of natural wood with her colorful, carefree girls. The bronze sculptures, presented for the first time, strip away her signature color palette, drawing attention to the figures themselves and inviting reflection on the inner worlds behind each expression. Rokkaku first experimented with bringing her two-dimensional characters into sculptural form in 2011 at Kunsthal Rotterdam, and she has remained drawn to three-dimensional work ever since. These new pieces can be seen as both a continuation and expansion of that early curiosity. For Rokkaku, there are no boundaries between painting and sculpture. She approaches each new material with openness and enthusiasm, always pushing forward鈥攃rossing thresholds, embracing change, and allowing the pure joy of creation to guide her path.
Artists on show
