Last year, on a rainy October morning I had a wonderful time meeting up again with Satoko Aoki, a Dyer and Illustrator, who works under the artist name of Toko. We first met almost exactly 3 years earlier when we exhibited in a group show of six ‘up-and-coming-artists’ at the Somé Seiryukan Museum in Kyoto.
Originally from Hiroshima, Aoki-san has made Kyoto her new base and has been doing some really great work recently. I loved her work when I first saw it back in 2014, she has a real sense of playfulness to her imagery and often includes little hidden creatures.
Working in both dyeing and illustration, Aoki-san has even had some of her designs made into woven silk fabrics in the Nishijin district in Kyoto! They are such fine, soft and beautiful fabrics. What a wonderful opportunity as a Kyoto resident to see your hand-drawn designs brought to life in a woven textile!
I’ll be writing up a full piece on Aoki-san’s work soon. I can’t wait to show you the breadth of fun things she does – from designing parasols and shirts to collaborating with a sweets-maker to have her own designs in Wagashi!
For now, please check out her super cute website and keep your eyes peeled for more soon. http://sometoko.com/
SOMÉ MONO Project 