I create paintings that change in appearance over time. To achieve this, I use materials that are prone to aging, such as tarnishing silver leaf, oxidizing oil, and fading photographic emulsion. As these materials are affected by light, temperature, humidity, and other factors, how they change cannot be predicted precisely. The motifs include images related to time, such as celestial bodies once used to measure time, still-life paintings of dead animals, and dictionaries that preserve words from the past.

The paintings begin to change as soon as they are finished. Over time, the silver leaf dulls, the oil turns yellow, and the photographic emulsion loses its color. These effects are viewed not simply as deterioration but as a process through which new images emerge. By presenting the process of change as painting, the work explores an uncertain appearance that continues to shift over time.

Asahi Sugai