Over the past decade, Aiko Robinson has developed an image-making practice that delicately balances historic influences with a contemporary aesthetic, creating work that is both richly nuanced and visually fresh. Of Japanese-New Zealand heritage, Robinson has developed a practice that draws on traditional printmaking and ink on paper techniques. The studied craftsmanship of her work is immediately evident, effortlessly invoking Japanese ukiyo-e art through fastidious detail and precisely structured compositions.
Read MoreRobinson's work conceptually engages with_shunga_, a form of Japanese erotic art that was prevalent from the 1600s through to the 1800s. She creates images that are playfully explicit, balancing the provocative with the everyday, the romantic with the humorous. The artist states, 'My initial interest in Shunga sprouted out of the criticism from my academics at university that my work was "too safe" and "too cute". In response to this I gave them pornography. What started as a practice more concerned with show and shock factor however quickly turned into my passion. Historical Shunga reflects the acceptance or celebration of sex in Shinto culture, and values love, mutual pleasure, and equality between sexual partners. Shunga, which literally translates to 'spring pictures' is also positively associated with the season of fertility and new life. I am interested in how these idealised visions of the Shunga artist might compare to prevailing ideas regarding pornography in contemporary society.'
Robinson also cites the work of Aubrey Beardsley as an influence. Beardsley was a British illustrator who worked in Paris in the late 1800s, and his work drew from Japanese woodblock printing, bringing aspects of that tradition into a Western context. Robinson responds to such historic sources, creating contemporary artworks that are visually rich and sensual, navigating themes of intimacy, consent, gender, and sexual politics. Though engaged with the erotic, they are more titillating than explicit. Within her practice, Robinson presents a sophisticated artistic vision. She skilfully balances technical precision with cross-medium innovation, explicit content with a mirthful sense of style.
Robinson graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts with an Honours degree in 2014, and in 2020 completed a two-year Masters of Printmaking scholarship from the prestigious Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan. She has exhibited consistently in solo and group exhibitions throughout New Zealand and in Japan.
Text courtesy Gow Langsford Gallery
