Gallery Delaive Editions presents: Ayako Rokkaku

Painting technique

Ayako Rokkaku developed her own unique painting technique. She applies acrylic paint directly to the canvas or cardboard with her bare hands. She starts painting without a predefined idea, painting what comes naturally until a composition slowly starts to emerge. A dreamy, colourful landscape, with tiny floating flowers, animals and skulls. A recurring element in her work is the prominent presence of young girls, which she paints in the manga style, with large eyes and long limbs. Rokkaku considers these girls a way of expressing her personality in her paintings.

The artist demonstrates her painting technique during live painting performances, working on canvases that can be up to 7 meters wide: "I love painting on something that is much bigger than I am. Moving to and fro between the corners of such a huge canvas makes me feel as if the colours are flowing through my body." In recent years, Rokkaku has experimented with various new techniques and materials, creating wool and cardboard installations, ceramics and sculptures made from layered acrylate.

Ayako Rokkaku

Global citizen Ayako Rokkaku (b. Chiba, 1982) lives in Portugal and works alternatingly in Porto, Tokyo, Berlin and Amsterdam. She created her first paintings in 2002, applying acrylic paint to cardboard with her bare hands and her work soon caught the critics' eye. In 2003 and 2006, she won prizes at Geisai, an art fair for emerging artists in Tokyo, organised by the world-famous artist Takashi Murakami (b. Tokyo, 1962).

Gallery Delaive represents Ayako Rokkaku since 2006, organising her first solo show "Walkin' Around Clouds" at the gallery in 2007. Rokkaku has since exhibited her work in Asia, Europe and the United States, including solo shows in Rotterdam's Kunsthal museum in The Netherlands, the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Slovakia and the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art in Japan.

Burrow & Pop Up

Ayako Rokkaku returns to Gallery Delaive with a body of original works on canvas, wood and ceramics. Painted in her signature colorful style, in bright scenes, girls hide behind layers of colorful clouds and pop up out of burrows. Also on view are two new limited editions, celebrating 15 years of collaboration between Ayako Rokkaku and Gallery Delaive. Very special is the limited edition sculpture designed by Ayako Rokkaku and produced by the world-famous and traditionally Dutch Royal Delft. Combining Japanese contemporary art with traditional Dutch ceramics, it represents the connection between Japanese artist Ayako Rokkaku and The Netherlands.

Ayako Rokkaku's show will be on view at Gallery Delaive in Amsterdam until February 27.

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