涅普頓畫廊很榮幸在暖冬之際，於3F Show Box呈現《夢の隙間》東條明子個展。此為藝術家在台灣的第三次個展，呈現近期溫醇療癒卻又蘊含深層情感文本的新作，展期為2023年12月30日（星期六）至2024年2月18日（星期日），開幕茶會將舉行於2024年1月6日（星期六）下午2:30，我們誠摯邀請您的蒞臨。
關於夢的文化及論述，朔源可遠自神話、宗教、醫學、藝術等各有其詮釋，也存有諸多引用及說法。藝術及夢最常被詮釋、也是首部以科學分析夢的著作，即為心理學家西格蒙德·弗洛伊德（Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939）所著《夢的解析》，概述夢為人類欲望最直接的顯現，以慾望的滿足解釋夢為潛意識在化解衝突，說明夢境形成的原因。「將潛意識具體化」也可由東條明子的藝術裡所賦予元素，一窺創作於理論中的曼妙。依附在衣袖間的趣味鬼魅、實體化的幻想生物、擬人化的動物等等，皆是藝術家思緒深處對自我的鼓舞。但當夢作為透過藝術化解現實衝突，以及實現療癒本質的載體時，榮格（Carl Gustav Jung, 1875-1961）對於夢的詮釋，更符合此次個展主題《夢の隙間》中，對於夢境的依存與回響。
榮格提出「夢」有著集體超越的廣闊境界，認為夢是自我整合的通道，僅現於夜晚的心靈活動，修補白晝時的心靈意識。東條明子的藝術，徹底實踐了榮格對藝術及療癒的文本，她將夢境與童年回憶的細節，重現於木雕的質地中，透過巧妙的鋪陳、結構及安排，圓滿了故事且修補心靈的縫隙，具體了想像且呼應我們的期待。榮格認為夢將積累於潛意識中的情緒，重新藉由夢境重建內在心靈後，再次省視外在自我，找回對生命的價值和信仰，透過自由創作，積極想像，重塑靈魂。如同此次呈現的新作中，《お菓子なパーティ – 賢者-》包裹著糖衣的賢者具象了童年對甜點的依戀、《輪廻猫》穿著和服且胸前有飛機餅乾綁帶的孩子呈現了美好回憶的喜悅、《君が眠るまで》抱著玩偶在半夢半醒狀態的女孩是我們都有過的寂寞及期待，這些充滿著藝術家透過雕刻，對時間與記憶具體的形塑，喚醒我們心靈深處的孩童，重建自我。
夢的世界沒有極限，大至翱翔宇宙 ，小至一粒紅豆， 變化莫測且偶有生動、平淡，但總能從夢中探索心靈深處的需求。如藝術家創作自述提及，我們總是在現實世界，庸碌地追尋自我的實現，但夢的各種無限可能，充滿了萬千變化的生命力，帶給真實的世界無比的想像與療癒。此次東條明子個展《夢の隙間》，不僅表達藉由夢境中對心靈變化的投射與期待，在夢與夢之間的微小縫隙，透過作品的細節如指尖的距離、堆疊的坐墊及擁抱的溫暖，雕琢出真實的我們。
Neptune Gallery is honored to present Akiko Tojo’s solo exhibition, “Gaps of Dreams,” at the 3F Show Box during this winter. This marks the artist’s third exhibition in Taiwan, showcasing recent works that are both soothing and emotionally rich. The exhibition runs from December 30, 2023 (Saturday) to February 18, 2024 (Sunday), with the opening reception scheduled for January 6, 2024 (Saturday) at 2:30 PM. We sincerely invite you to participate.
Regarding the cultural and discursive aspects of dreams, their interpretations can be traced back to various sources, including mythology, religion, medicine, and art. One of the earliest scientific analyses of dreams is found in the work of the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), titled “The Interpretation of Dreams.” Freud interprets dreams as the most direct expression of human desires, explaining dreams as the subconscious resolving conflicts and illustrating the reasons behind dream formation. Akiko Tojo’s art, with its whimsical creatures, fantastical entities, and anthropomorphized animals, embodies elements inspired by the artist’s deep thoughts. When dreams serve as a means to artistically resolve real conflicts and embody the essence of healing, Carl Gustav Jung’s (1875-1961) interpretation of dreams aligns more with the theme of the exhibition, “Gaps of Dreams.”
Jung proposed that dreams have a broad collective unconscious realm and are a pathway for self-integration, manifesting in the nocturnal activities of the mind to mend the conscious psyche during the day. Akiko Tojo’s artfully realizes Jung’s concepts of art and healing. She recreates details of dreams and childhood memories in the texture of wood carvings, using clever arrangements and structures to complete stories and mend the gaps in the soul, making imagination tangible and resonating with our expectations. According to Jung, dreams rebuild emotions accumulated in the subconscious, allowing for an inner reflection after reconstructing the psyche through dreams and rediscovering the value and faith in life. Through free creation and active imagination, the soul is reshaped. In the presented works, such as “お菓子なパーティ – 賢者-,” which depicts a sage coated in sugar and symbolizes childhood nostalgia for sweets, “輪廻猫,” a child wearing a kimono with airplane-shaped cookies tied to the chest, representing the joy of beautiful memories, and “君が眠るまで,” a girl in a half-asleep state hugging a doll, expressing the loneliness and anticipation we have all experienced, the artist through carving gives tangible form to time and memory, awakening the inner child and rebuilding the self.
The world of dreams knows no limits, from soaring through the universe to as small as sand. It is ever-changing, sometimes vivid, and sometimes mundane, yet it always allows exploration of the deep-seated needs of the soul. As mentioned in the artist’s self-description, while we often seek self-realization in the mundane reality, the countless possibilities in the dream world, filled with vibrant and imaginative life force, offer immense imagination and healing to the real world. Akiko Tojo’s exhibition, “Gaps of Dreams,” not only expresses the projection and expectations of inner changes through dreams but also carves out the details of the spaces between dreams, such as the distance at the fingertips, the stacked cushions, and the warmth of an embrace, sculpting the real us.
