A figure like a Nio guardian statue, standing quietly while harboring inner strength

"Wearing kimono and standing firm." It can be said to be an act born from a small, simmering spirit of rebellion.



Since starting my current activities, I've often been asked questions that make me want to retort, "Isn't that just a preconception?" I feel that these preconceptions can sometimes hinder the development of technology and culture.




For example, a woman in a kimono is expected to be demure. I never questioned this myself. However, the kimono I create did not suit that image. Posing with twisted limbs or standing with feet turned inward, hands clasped in front, did not feel right for me. I envisioned a stronger image. A figure like a Nio guardian statue, standing quietly while harboring inner strength. Whether that is beautiful is another matter, but there is no rule against a woman standing firm in a kimono. The walls of preconceptions and fixed ideas can be dismantled with a little thought.


In any world, for anyone, there are preconceptions.

In any world, for anyone, there are preconceptions. Even if they are not wrong, they can hinder the expansion of thought. "One must do this," "It should be this way," "It has always been like this." Questioning such words and things, and thinking about them, can be a catalyst for contemplating various matters.



Think a little, and try doing something slightly different. If small actions can become the catalyst for great change, then perhaps my continued act of standing firm may also find its meaning.



If you ask what this is, it is not a photographic work, nor performance art, but my way of life.


Takahashi Hiroko

Born in 1977. Completed her doctoral program at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School, earning a Ph.D. in Fine Arts. In 2006, she established HIROCOLEDGE Inc. Her designs are characterized by patterns expressed solely through circles and straight lines. Through her creative activities, which aim to overturn everyday preconceptions and inspire contemplation, her work serves as a conceptual series that offers moments of realization.

She engages in genre-defying, wide-ranging creative work, including portrait series that approach subjects from new perspectives and the "HIROCOLEDGE" project, which involves collaboration with various regions and artisans from production to sales.

http://www.takahashihiroko.com/