Love Through the Ages. Scene 4
Artwork details
Polina Zhadko · 2021
Acrylic, oil on canvas
70 × 60 cm
About the work
For a long time, I could not understand why Japan evoked such a poignant ache in my chest. Since childhood, any mention of the Land of the Rising Sun stirred something deep within me — as if I were endlessly longing for a loved one I had been separated from for far too long.
When I first visited Tokyo, the moment I set foot in the country, a feeling washed over me: I had come home after a long absence. At last, I felt at peace.
Six months into her stay in Japan, the artist took part in a meditative regression session. In her account, this was a personal, mystical experience that helped her interpret her affinity with the country and feelings she had previously found difficult to understand.
I dedicate this series of works to my love for a homeland from the past — a love that remains in my heart forever, no matter how many moons have passed since.
It is no coincidence that I chose torii gates as the center of the composition. In Japanese tradition, torii mark the entrance to the sacred realm — the world of gods and spirits.