Inspired by Mutus Liber (Latin for Book of Silence), an alchemical text consisting almost entirely of illustrations with hardly any text, published in France in the 17th century, this relief-like series alludes to alchemical images extracted from matter purified by a chemical process through subtle principles. The theme of Book of Silence, in which Poseidon is confined in a flask, is that of extracting energy from the sun and the moon from dew falling from the sky; combining everyday modern materials such as wood and linen, wool, foam and tube with abstract forms, to unleash a new breath of life. Juxtaposed, one could even view these abstract coloured frames and relief-like paintings as pieces of game-chips or cards, allowing viewers experience the meaning of possibility, coincidence, opportunity, and also sense the playful elements. Expressed in a comical manner, these exhibits, together with a series of gouache drawings on paper, re-interpret the myth of the universe, the genesis of the natural world and the metempsychosis of energy.

Mio Shirai