Atsuko Goto “An Empty Idol”

Lower Akihabara

Finished

Artists

Atsuko Goto

Guuzou, a Japanese concept usually translated as an idol or icon, can be explained as religious figure, performance idol or character idol. It needs to be an empty vessel for the person who observes it (the worshiper) to empathize with it. Japanese have been worshiping guuzou since ancient times. While some people have come to worship talents or virtual characters with the rapid changes in values during the modern era, those objects are all only shape variations of an empty guuzou. The worshiper, however, can never alter even the shape of the vessel at his/her discretion. Like an unconscious dream, which is a sanctuary that cannot be altered by will, an empty guuzou cannot be controlled even though it might be loved.
The artist Atsuko Goto depicts in her paintings people’s unconscious inner emotions. Her style of production is to make a picture following her momentary unconscious desires without seeking any meaning, so that pieces of memories in a dream can emerge as a mysterious story or scene. The girls depicted in her imagery paintings through such a process of mental rebirth appear to have no will, just smiling in a fictitious cocoon.

Schedule

Sep 9 (Fri) 2016-Sep 17 (Sat) 2016