綾城慧

Akira Ayashiro

Myths and folktales that share common elements across time and regions can be found throughout the world.
While some of these similarities may be the result of transmission through human migration, there are also resemblances that cannot be explained by this alone.
Such forms of oral literature reflect patterns of the human mind that are shared across cultures and ethnicities.
This work is based on the premise of such universality of the human mind.
Here, universality is not something explicitly presented within the work itself, but rather a premise underlying the process of creation.
Instead of reconstructing entire narratives, this work extracts recurring motifs and types found in myths and folktales,
and attempts to capture their fragmented manifestations through photography.

I was born and raised in Japan as a second-generation Korean resident.
Growing up in an ambiguous position of being neither fully Korean nor fully Japanese, I have long carried a sense of not belonging anywhere.
From this underlying feeling of rootlessness, I have been drawn to the deeper layers of stories shared across humanity.
Oral traditions, passed down through generations, carry the memories and traces of people
from the past into the present and toward the future; for me,
they also serve as a way to connect myself to a universal framework of what it means to be human.

Your responses will help inform my artistic practice and research.
As a small thank you,
visitors who complete the questionnaire may choose one postcard
featuring an image from the exhibition.
Please feel free to choose your favorite one. Limited quantities available.