KARUIZAWA, JAPAN
RICCA OKANO
Night Tree No. 1
There is a box. To seal away the secret it contains, seeds are sown upon it. As time passes, the tree that grows from those seeds becomes a great one—twisting and bending, yet standing strong against storms. Eventually, the box beneath is forgotten. No one opens it anymore. Yet, the secret it holds is passed down from generation to generation, whispered through oral tradition. This piece was born from such an imagined story. It embodies a transformation: plants born from ancient strata evolve over long years of wind and snow into venerable trees, their trunks twisting with movement reminiscent of the human form.
Through the work, I wanted to express not only the visible world above ground, but also the unseen world beneath—the layers, the roots, the hidden cosmos that lies below the surface. It is a microcosm of the Earth itself, encapsulating all its life and energy.
This is a story of life’s cycle, and also of my own underground—the root of my personal mythology.
Dimensions: 10.5"H x 5.1"W x 3"D
Material: Porcelain Clay with Washi
Artwork ships: beginning october 22nd
Night Tree No. 1
Artist Statement
About the Artist
RICCA OKANO
Other works from the WHAT HOLDS Exhibition
