The models of the work are cats we have, also cockatiel bird at home, and animals I met based on several visits at zoos and aquariums nationwide.
Since the model cat of my parents' house died at the age of 22 this summer, the number of works with flowers as a motif has increased with the meaning of requiescats.
There is always a cat by my side in my life. Since I was a kid, I haven't been able to communicate well with the people around me, and I tend to be alienated from the community, so I've always been friends with cats.
Cats have always been loved even if they behave unfriendly, and I have always admired them. In the work, the cat is a longing and sometimes my alter ego. In my work, I try to fulfill my desires that cannot be fulfilled in the real world, or depict my life in an ideal world. In addition to cats, birds such as parakeets and a wide variety of animals such as tigers, lions, and pandas often appear in my work.
Originally, cats and birds are predators and prey, and it is difficult for them to coexist in the same space. Looking back, even in the world where we humans live, humans are hurt by various reasons such as religion, race, and gender. Discrimination, disparity and conflict still exist. The law is not equal to all human beings, and the social system is in favor of the majority. I draw a world where various animals coexist without harming each other.
This is a projection of my ideal society on animals. There are a wide variety of human beings, each of whom is recognized and respected. "A wide variety of humans" is depicted as "a wide variety of animals." It would be great if people with different ideas could coexist without harming each other and live happily. And in such a world, I, as a child who couldn't communicate well, should be able to live happily. I make my artworks with such a prayer. I don't know if it will be hundreds or decades later, but when the ideal world is realized, will people living in that era feel beautiful when they see my work? I'm drawing with such an imagination.