The works of Japanese artist, Keiko Yokoyama, usher us inside a world where innocence reigns. Scenes filled with images of children, dolls, and toys assemble a peculiar reverie. In her solo exhibition, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” the artist wonders about the blissful and idyllic junctures that surpass place and time constraints. What we will find are sentimental illustrations of the realms that carry us where peace and tenderness prevail.

A beguiling portrait of an infant sleeping soundly is at the center of this exhibition. Yokoyama’s “Cradle Song” dispenses a moment of collectedness as we look closely into the details of the child’s face. There is a sense of security that ushers the viewer into a nostalgic wonder of the last time one had actually slept like a baby.

In the series, “Teddy Bear Cinnamon”, inanimate objects appear to have learned how to interact and form relationships with their kind. One setting includes a stuffed toy engagingly reading to a doll while seated on a bergère. Another one features a group of toys walking in line while a dog curiously looks at them. These are scenes that may be hard to imagine but have come alive through Yokoyama’s commendable representation of idealistic schemes. Among these works are signs and symbols that remind us about the beginning of life. This is apparent in the “Angel’s Cradle” series where the hatching of eggs reveals an angel-like figure. “Tiny Beautiful Things” makes certain that we find tranquility even in the minute details. Here, the cracks in an eggshell can make us feel the stillness of the world. In other works, the presence of the color red looms over somber backdrops. Yokoyama’s compositions appeal to us like a charming indication of revelry. It is as if we are prodded to think that there is always a hint of hope in every distressing situation.

The artist started her career as an illustrator and has since worked on the idea that toys and objects from childhood can transcend borders. Children often relate with them in creating a different reality; Yokoyama captures these wanderings on canvas. “Tiny Beautiful Things” is the continuation of the artist’s narration of how beauty should look. It lives among these items of veneration; objects of delight that remind us of ourselves in the most ideal and purest of forms.

 

curated by Gwen Bautista