AKA (2020)

This series is a personal exploration that emerged from a collaboration with Creative Agency Weave and Taubmans PPG to help launch 'Coloursmith'—a new colour matching and visualization technology that enables users to create custom paint colours through an app.

As one of several prominent creative individuals invited to share my unique colour story for the launch campaign, I crafted a series of artworks using 'Heritage Red'—a personalized paint colour inspired by my Japanese heritage, which I developed with the Coloursmith technology.

The inspiration for this colour came from a small stamp known as a 'hanko,' which I use to sign my fine art prints. In primary school in Japan, each student receives a hanko featuring their name in 'kanji' (logographic characters used in the Japanese writing system). By using red ink, this small accent symbolizes a more profound connection that is a homage to my heritage.

The work's title, 'AKA,' translates to red in Japanese.