Mana Osawa

What I express in my work is not the loveliness of flowers, but their boldness and strength as they use clever traps to spread their seeds, produce substances that interfere with the growth of other plants, and even absorb nutrients in order to survive. I am in awe and respect of these plants, and I...

What I express in my work is not the loveliness of flowers, but their boldness and strength as they use clever traps to spread their seeds, produce substances that interfere with the growth of other plants, and even absorb nutrients in order to survive. I am in awe and respect of these plants, and I sincerely hope that people can experience this overwhelming energy through my work. That is why the flowers I depict have a bit of venom in them. In the series of flowers and vases, which are my representative works, I dared not to depict flowers blooming in the wild. I wanted to express the moment when flowers are stored in a vase and feel more powerful as they desperately absorb water and grow in pursuit of sunlight, even in a short period of time, just one week. The flowers are like a mass of life force that blooms every day when it feels sunlight and closes when it gets dark, even though they have already been cut off. In our long life, joy and happiness are only found in a flash of light, and other than that, we always feel as if we are in the dark. The darkness in the background reflects this, and is meant to show the flower in its most vivid and brilliant form when illuminated by the flash of light. I also wanted to capture the plant's powerful appearance forever by using lines and dots to depict the plant emitting a vapor-like particle, a kind of "chi" that I could see. In this way, I believe that even the cut flowers will help in the goal of preserving the "seeds". The <自然>that we humans continue to destroy are not docile in their ecology just because they do not speak, but they are actually very intelligent and are wonderful people who are trying to survive in this age, no different from us. Through my artwork, I hope that as many people as possible will realize the beauty of coexisting with them while feeling awe and respect for them, and that my art will inspire them to take action. That action is for humans to respect nature more, to care for flowers and trees, and to save them from extinction.