HENKYO is pleased to present PROCESS, a solo exhibition by Aokabi Saya from Saturday 27th April 2024.

This exhibition will debut Aokabi’s new series of works ‘Process’, a series of paintings that deconstructs and presents the process of painting a work on canvas. The exhibition will show all new canvas works, including a set of three large scale paintings, as well as her first ever print edition works (a folio of 12 silkscreen prints in an edition of 30) that will be sold via lottery. Please come and see the exhibition in person and we look forward to welcoming you.

The title, ‘Process’, is a direct reference to the painting technique developed by Aokabi and the important role that this process holds within her practice.
Aokabi’s process can be seen as a deconstruction of the painting process and can be divided into three parts; the first is the pencil lines that show her initial concept and ideas, the second is the black paint that outlines that contours the concrete shapes and forms, the third and final stage is the fully painted surface that give the works colour and expression. This step-by-step approach presents the process of how a painting is created on the physical canvas and gives the viewer a rare opportunity to see the way in which a painting is built up of many layers from initial draft to the final realised work. By allowing the viewer to see the usually unseen process of painting, Aokabi invites the viewer to get closer to the various depths of meaning within her works. For Aokabi, painting is a form of creative expression that reveals her inner thoughts and feelings, that manifests itself through line and colour. ‘Process’ is both a deconstruction and distillation of this very essence, and affirms with distinction what Aokabi has consistently said about her works; ’This is painting.