YOU & ME
Miho
Opening: May 20 5:30 pm
Viewing: May 19 until June 6
Miho, a Japanese-born artist living in Aotearoa New Zealand. My practice combines photography and digital manipulation, extending the image beyond documentation into constructed, contemporary artworks.
This series draws on the visual language of traditional Japanese ceramic plates—objects that carry histories of pattern, heritage, and cultural continuity. Within these structured forms, I introduce animals as central subjects, reflecting a personal connection to the natural world and a quiet reverence for their presence. By bringing together heritage design and living form, the work creates a dialogue between past and present, tradition and emotion.
Through the process of the ceramic surface crumbling and patterns melting and dripping, change depicts adaptation—growth and transience reconstructed through movement, memory, and place. It reflects how what once symbolised permanence is transformed by its surroundings, in other words, the evolving process of culture, life, and the self.
In this collection of works, only the dogs and cats have different backgrounds. I used the cover illustration of the aforementioned story as a reference. “Nansō Satomi Hakkenden” was written by Kyokutei Bakin (Takizawa Bakin) during the late Edo period, from 1814 to 1842. Set in the Satomi family of Awa Province (present-day Chiba Prefecture), it is an epic adventure story in which eight dog warriors, each possessing a spiritual gem representing benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, loyalty, trustworthiness, filial piety, and fraternity, are brought together by fate to fight vengeful spirits in order to restore the Satomi family, all while under the curse of Princess Fuse. This epic fantasy novel spans 98 volumes and 106 books, and was published over a period of 28 years. The covers featuring illustrations of dogs were also created during this time. While the author, Kyokutei Bakin, spent 28 years writing, ukiyo-e artists such as Yanagawa Shigenobu created the charming covers and illustrations featuring dogs and auspicious symbols.
The image depicts several dogs sleeping huddled together, seemingly representing the peace they find after working for their owner. I modernised the original image and transformed the same image into cats, incorporating them into the backgrounds of each piece. This is because I wanted to create these pieces with personal feelings in mind, as a way of expressing my gratitude to my own dogs and cats. I created these pieces as a tribute to the dogs who always look straight up at me, waiting for commands, and to the cats, who are creatures that bring healing to humans simply by their presence while sleeping.
YOU & ME speaks to companionship and empathy. It acknowledges the bond between human, animals and every life, suggesting that when we hold a deep care for others we are never truly alone.
Story source from Wikipedia Japan https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 南総里見八犬伝
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