Cult of Melancholy by Haruko Maeda Since the 2011 earthquake and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan, Haruko Maeda has become…
Cult of Melancholy byHaruko Maeda
Since the 2011 earthquake and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan, Haruko Maeda has become hyper-aware of death and how it permeates various aspects of life on Earth. “From the moment of our birth, we move inexorably towards death, day after day. After life, death comes for each and every one of us without exception,” she reflected on her blog. Now based in Austria, the artist creates delicate oil paintings and sculptures that examine the cycle of life. Inspired by the Baroque architecture that surrounds her in her adoptive home as well as Japanese horror manga and Renaissance portraiture, Maeda treads towards the unknown, depicting death optimistically without gore or viscera.