Rushika, Flower Flower / No. 14 "Dreamcore"

The first thing that caught my eye was turquoise green.

From there, the view gradually opened up, and as I went higher, blues and whites appeared.

But all the colors were somehow muted—

Looking closely, it was the ocean.

I felt like I was being pulled down by strong gravity, falling beneath the water.

Despite the fear, I focused on widening my vision and saw

Whelks and flat seashells floating gently,

And a rainbow of hues slowly changing with the depth.

I was gazing idly, thinking, "How beautiful," when

I suddenly remembered that I was heading deeper into the abyss.

That feeling where a lovely scene and bottomless terror exist simultaneously—

That gap brought back the anxiety.

Although it's not the exact theme of this piece,

This is a story about "the first dream I ever remember having."

Dreams are usually forgotten quickly, but

For some reason, there are a few dreams I remember for life.

It's not nostalgic, yet it has a strange sense of déjà vu,

A floating sensation where anxiety and dreaminess coexist.

That is the root feeling of "Dreamcore" for me,

And this time, I tried to translate that feeling into colors.

In truth, there are many more color directions I want to express with Dreamcore.

But this time, I chose the "muted colors" that have always been consistent within me.

I intentionally added an earthy tone to the skin to make it muted,

And created a contrast with clothes in colors like sweet confections,

Expressing the contradiction unique to dreams: "cute yet anxious," "beautiful yet falling."

Come to think of it, "muted colors" have become quite a staple in the world these days.

Beyond being a youth trend,

From costumes in photo studios, to miscellaneous goods, to everyday items anyone can easily buy at 100-yen shops,

They have become colors that naturally catch the eye everywhere.

Colors that aren't too strong, that blend seamlessly into daily life—

Perhaps that ambiguous gentleness resonates with the sensibilities of many people.

It might not be convincing coming from me, who often creates works with flashy colors, but

I actually like muted colors too.

So, the current atmosphere where such colors are widely accepted by the world

Is not so bad at all.