Perfect Red by Hajime Kinoko

Hajime Kinoko had his solo exhibition, Perfect Red, at the Gallery Le Deco in Shibuya from December 17th to 23rd, 2018. In it, he showed dozens of past masterpieces as well as his new un realeased work.

Currently, Kinoko is Japan’s foremost contemporary practitioner of shibari. He is famous for his interpretation of shibari in art and for coloring the white world red. Indeed, he uses red rope in his work to show the blood-like connection and the red thread of fate. His amazing expositions have worldwide recognition: they are masterpieces. Red is a color that represents Kinoko perfectly. It is like his signature.

Perfect Red: Nuanced Explorations

The event had around 1000 visitors. On the same year, he published his book Perfect Red. In it, he expands on the original content of his previous book, Red. Red launched in 2016 and had a great impact on the world of shibari. Unlike the first publication, Perfect Red doubles the size of his content with the addition of his new work. Like Kinoko says: “The theme of Red series is ‘connection.’ When tying someone, it’s not about capturing or tying that person. To me it feels like I am tying myself with the model like strings connecting two paper cups to make a paper toy telephone.”

A Genealogy

This series expresses mothers, ancestors, nature, peers, DNA, the future, connections between hearts, and inspiration. Kinoko shows us that people are not alone: everyone is connected to someone. Red emphasizes connections as blood or fate, which is expressed in the Japanese language as the red string of fate. This artists wants to help people remember the true meaning of connections and interactions. That is, to remind them of significant people or events in their lives, which we all have lately forgotten.

Image: Hajime Kinoko