I stayed alone for several nights in one of the detention cells.
The darkness seemed very deep and sounds echoed eerily.
While I painted, I felt as though I was being watched
and then gradually that I was being guided to paint
what the watchers felt.
Sakaide Police Station Art Project
The art project took place
in an old police station scheduled for demolition.
Thirteen artists moved in to create works of art
in a farewell tribute.
Empty for many years,
it still retained traces of the emotions
of former detainees and police officers.
The atmosphere at first was oppressive
but the energy of the artists as they passed in and out
collided with the residues to create a vortex that purified the air.
From that moment on,
the style of my work changed and so did I.
We called our exhibition Shizume,
which means to bring tranquility or to appease,
and in a sense it was a purification rite.
The building was subsequently torn down
and we hope all the spirits there now rest in peace.