I am delighted to hold my first solo exhibition at Ginza Ippodo Gallery. My connection with Mr. Aono dates back to 2014, when I held a solo exhibition at the Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art in Izu, and he kindly drove all the way from Ginza, Tokyo, to see it.

My absolute favorite color is red. I feel so fortunate to be able to paint in red. When I was little, my older sister would say, "I want to wear red clothes too. I'm always made to wear blue," and I would listen with the greatest satisfaction as my mother retorted, "Red suits her." I believe this incident solidified red as my color.

Mariko Sakai

I believe it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that I encountered Mariko Sakai in a red dress and her striking red paintings.
That intense red brought a shock to a gloomy world.
Masatomi Kaijo, the director who discovered and popularized Yuichi Inoue, had promised to do the same for Mariko Sakai but passed away shortly after.
Therefore, we decided to hold a solo exhibition for this talented artist.
It's her turn now, isn't it?

Keiko Aono, Ichihodo