Year: 2013
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 227.5 x 182 cm (89 1/2 x 71 5/8 in.)
Acquired from ShugoArts, 2022
The expression of soft and flowing hair draws one’s attention. Several hands are grasping the hair and fabric, and a huge sewing scissor showing a freezing cold impression, stands out from the painting. Kondo is known for depicting “To be Alive” as a theme. In this work, hair, the part of the human body that reveals the most conspicuous visible change, is treated as a symbol of life. To be alive is also to be forced to change constantly. During the time from birth to death, aging, illness, and growth from child to adult, our body and mind never stop changing, regardless of one’s will. Fabrics are woven from threads. If we assume that fiber is a metaphor for hair (life), the hands that grasp it, the scissors that are stacked on top, and the significance of needle and thread all seem to be connected to death and life. The two hands grasping the fabric intertwined their index fingers with each other’s, but one finger is blue. The woman is proudly showing off her rich hair and touches her cheek with her strong hands. Her face looks somewhat pale, and her neck is like the petals of a white lily. Such ambiguous depiction seems to suggest that life is both powerful and at the same time, is dangerously fragile. This work was exhibited at the exhibition “Paintings Here and Now”, at Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo in 2018.
