Year: 2019
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 194 x 162.2 cm (76 3/8 x 63 7/8 in.)
Acquired from Christie’s, 2022
This work was displayed at “TOKYO☆VOCA” (March-December 2022, Dai-Ichi Life Gallery, Tokyo, Japan), a festive exhibition featuring the award winners of the VOCA Exhibition (held annually at Ueno Royal Museum) organized by the Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Company since 1994. The painting, which is divided into four large parts, attracts the focus on the world of painting like a window. However, the four parts show completely different landscapes. Hirako is especially interested in the relationship between human and nature, therefore natural and artificial objects are mixed in his works. The perception of nature is constantly changing as people interact with it to survive. In this work, a chimera of human and plants representing the relationship between human and nature, is holding a pet-like cat in his chest with many houseplants in the background. In the opposite corner are plants and flowers arranged in pots and vases in the front. He seems to be surrounded by nature but in fact all objects are borrowed from nature. Just like a contrast to his life, the crossed positions seem to depict a nature that does not interact with people. “Perennial” is a plant that lives for many years, or it also means things perpetually recurring. People consume from nature, while at the same time they try to love and protect it. This is to be repeated as long as the human world continues.
