Ayako Rokkaku is a contemporary artist who has attracted attention for her colorful and freely drawn images of young girls.
Her works are sold at high prices at auctions and have attracted the attention of art investors.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of Ayako Rokkaku's career, representative works, and recent auction results.

Biography of Rockak Ayako

Ayako Rokkaku is a contemporary artist born in Chiba Prefecture in 1982.
She taught herself to paint from around the age of 20, and began her career mainly through live painting on the street and at design festivals.

The turning point in his activities was the "GEISAI" event organized by Takashi Murakami in 2006.
After winning the Scout Award, Rokkaku gained a great deal of attention and exhibited at the Kaikaikiki booth at Art Basel in Switzerland in the same year.
His international recognition skyrocketed as he sold more than 100 pieces of his work by conducting live painting sessions.


Live painting at ART BASEL, 2006 (Source: Artist's website)

In 2013, he held a two-person exhibition with Yoshitomo Nara at Noevir Ginza Gallery, rubbing shoulders with the heavyweights of Japanese contemporary art.
In recent years, he has held large-scale solo exhibitions at the Jan van der Toft Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art in Japan, establishing his reputation in the contemporary art world.

Currently based in Berlin, he continues to work and is a member of the De Live Gallery, a leading gallery in the Netherlands.
He is an artist whose works are extremely difficult to obtain in primary.

He is ranked 78th in Artprice's 2022 World Artists Sales Ranking, and has a strong international presence.

Style of Ayako Rokkaku's work

Ayako Rokkaku is known for her colorful portraits of young girls.
In particular, the girl with her hair tied in a single knot has been a consistent motif in Rokkaku's work since her early works.


Untitled, 2020 (Source: Artist's website)

The strong lines of his paintings are the result of his technique of applying paint directly to cardboard or canvas by dipping his fingers into the paint.
Furthermore, his style of painting motifs while incorporating random elements such as passerby figures and unexpected sounds is compatible with live painting and has led to the high acclaim of Rockak's works.

In recent years, she has also been incorporating new techniques and expressions into her work, such as woodblock prints and three-dimensional works using acrylics.

Representative works of Ayako Rokkaku

Untitled": Signature model from the early stage of her career

Untitled" 2006. (Source: Mutual Art)

This work, painted with her fingers on cardboard, can be said to be a signature model of the style that Ayako Rokkaku had established from her early days.
Rokkaku's depiction of a young girl with unbalanced arms and legs and large eyes is considered by art collectors around the world to be in line with Japanese "kawaii" culture, and has been highly acclaimed.

Magic Hand": A major work for a major solo exhibition in 2020

Magic Hand" 2020. (Source: Bijutsu Techo)

This large-scale work was created for the "Magic Hand: Works by Ayako Rokkaku" exhibition at the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art in 2020.
The work is a huge piece of cardboard spliced together, and the powerful acrylic paint strokes can be felt.

Untitled 2": Collaboration with Ukiyoe technique

Untitled 2," 2023. (Source: Adachi Prints)

Since around 2020, Rokkaku Ayako has also been working on woodblock prints in collaboration with the Adachi Printmaking Institute.
This work uses a technique used in ukiyo-e printmaking called sanmai-tsugi, in which three pieces of the same size are placed side by side to form one large painting.

The unique touch of Rokkaku Ayako is expressed through the carving and printing techniques of the craftsmen.

Print A": 93-color silkscreen print

Print A" 2023. (Source: TRiCERA)

This silkscreen print uses 93 colors of ink to express the powerful colors of the original Rokkaku painting.
It is limited to an edition of 200 copies, and as of 8/29/2023, it is priced at USD$20,800 (equivalent to JPY ¥3,045,504).
This work has been sold at TRiCERA ART Resale.

Live painting work for sale by all applicants for 24 hours only

(Source: A rtSticker)

In 2022, Ayako Rokkaku held a live painting event at the London gallery Avant Arte.
From the moment her fingers touched the canvas, all collectors who applied within 24 hours were offered a print based on the finished work for sale, a unique project.

The price of the print was 500€ (JPY 71,812 at the time), attracting worldwide attention as an opportunity for many people to acquire a work of art at an affordable price range.
The online event also presented a new way to enjoy art in the Corona Disaster.

Auction Results for Roccaque Ayako

Ayako Rokkaku is an artist whose works have been actively traded at auctions in Japan and abroad, with more than 1,000 items sold at auction.
Here are some representative auction results and price trends of Rokkaku's works.

The highest bid was 184 million yen

Currently, the highest price for a Rockak work sold at the SBI Art Auction held on July 15-16, 2022, is
184 million for "Untitled" (2017), a 100.0 x 150.0 cm acrylic painting.


'Untitled' , 2017 (Source:MutualArt)

Print works sold for about $12 million.

A number of woodblock prints and silkscreen works were also on display.
The highest bid in the prints category was 12,075,000 yen for the lithograph "Untitled" (2012) at the SBI Art Auction on January 29, 2022.


Untitled, 2012, (Source: MutualArt)

Also sold at leading auctions

There have been more than 170 sales of Lockak's works at leading auctions such as Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips.
In particular, "Untitled," a 180 x 140 cm acrylic painting, sold for HKD10,290,000 (approximately 166.5 million yen at that time ) at Christie's Hong Kong on May 26, 2022, and attracted a great deal of attention.



Untitled, 2021, (Source: MutualArt)

Trends in Expected and Actual Bid Prices

(Compiled by editorial staff from auction data)

Rokkaku Ayako has appeared in auctions since around 2008. Especially since 2018, the actual price has exceeded the highest bidding estimate every year.
The median actual bid for an original painting marked approximately 14.87 million yen in 2021.
For prints, it is approximately 2.26 million yen in 2022.

In 2023, the median bids for original paintings and prints will be 10.58 million yen and 1.40 million yen, respectively, showing a slight downward trend.
Although the median of the actual auctioned amount is within the forecasted range, many auction lots are scheduled to be sold during this year, and the trend of the auctioned amount will be watched closely.

Scheduled Future Auction Listings (as of 8/31/2023)

The SBI Art Auction, to be held on September 15-16, 2023, will feature a woodblock print by Ayako Rokkaku, "Untitled 1" (2020 ).
This work is a collaboration with the Adachi Printmaking Institute. The expected bidding price is 1.2-1.8 million yen.



Untitled 1, 2021, (Source: MutualArt)

TRiCERA ART Resale Service Information

TRiCERA ART offers a resale service that allows collectors to sell or purchase artworks with peace of mind.
We have experience in dealing with Ayako Rokkaku, so please take a look at this page if you are interested in purchasing or selling Rokkaku works.

For those who wish to sell their artworks

At TRiCERA ART, our professional staff examines the value of artworks and conducts sales procedures at a fair price.



The price assessment is free of charge.
A private sale function is also available for completely private transactions.

Please see the following page for details on our sale service.

We also accept price appraisals via our official LINE.
After registering as a friend, please tap "Request for Appraisal," and our professional staff will ask you about the name of the work, artist, size, etc., and will quickly conduct the appraisal.

For those who wish to purchase artworks

TRiCERA offers resale pieces by popular artists that have investment value.
Please click on the links below to view the works currently on display.

In addition, if you contact us via our official LINE, we will give you priority notification when your desired piece is available for sale.

After registering as a friend, please tap the "Looking for an artist with investment value" button.
The curator in charge will contact you to discuss the artist and artwork you are interested in.