YUICHI HIRAKO

Hirako’s vivid figurative style is rich in metaphor and his installation comprises a diverse community of things – books, cats, vases, fruit – as well as his ‘tree man’. The larger paintings are expansive, offering filmic vistas and interior scenes incorporating multiple objects, while other smaller compositions depict singular items or animals – a snake, an amplifier, a pair of shoes. Hung together in a precise geometric arrangement the effect is maximalist, with man and nature sitting in close proximity. The sculptural installations mimic this atmosphere, creating a mise en scène for his various ‘tree men’. A self-portrait of sorts, this magical figure has a human body and a fir or pine tree head replete with antlers. It evolved in part from Hirako’s personal experiences and research into Shinto thought and the Japanese folklore tradition of mountain worship. He also draws inspiration from related traditions and practices that have long existed in other countries and regions.

For Hirako, the ‘tree-man’ is contemplative, a kind of rückenfigur, with which the viewer can identify – imagining themselves in the same situation. His bronze work Yggdrasill / Books, 2023, installed in the green space at the front of the gallery serves as introduction to this character and the themes at play in the show – in essence, the questioning of an anthropocentric view of the world. The word Yggdrasill refers to the sacred tree which forms the central point of the cosmos outlined in Norse mythology, it is the place from which all life stems. This relates to Hirako’s emphasis on coexistence with nature, rather than its domination, and his consistent philosophical centring of it in his work.