Sakura ~Ephemerality~ (Kimono Upcycled ) (2025)Collage by Lena Okamoto

[Size]
Diameter 50cm x 4cm

[Materials]
antique silk on pine wood

[Edition]
One-of-a-kind

[Story behind the work]
This artwork is created from a hand-woven vintage Japanese obi. Individual sakura elements were carefully extracted from the textile and re-composed into a collage, allowing the original motif to transform into a completely new visual experience.

The composition evokes a very specific moment familiar to anyone who has stood beneath a blooming cherry tree and looked upward. Layers of blossoms overlap above, dissolving into the brightness of the sky until flowers and clouds seem to merge into one continuous canopy. The piece captures this fleeting perspective - the sensation of being surrounded by sakura, where petals blur into light and the boundary between earth and sky disappears.

Through the collage process, fragments of the original textile are reassembled to recreate that immersive view. The artwork does not depict a single branch or flower, but rather the collective presence of many blossoms drifting together, forming a quiet cloud of spring.

If you have experienced standing under sakura in full bloom, you will likely recognize this feeling immediately.

[Period]
Vintage silk obi textile, around 1950ies.
The obi was originally woven as part of a traditional Japanese kimono ensemble, where it served as the central decorative element of the garment.

[Meaning of patterns and colors]
Sakura holds deep symbolic meaning in Japanese culture. The blossoms represent the fleeting nature of life, the beauty of impermanence, and the preciousness of transient moments.

Rather than focusing on individual flowers, this composition emphasizes the collective rhythm created by many blossoms overlapping and dispersing in space. The soft whites and pale tones suggest light filtering through petals, while the scattered red accents evoke clusters of sakura drifting through the air.

This visual movement reflects the Japanese aesthetic concept of mono no aware — an awareness of the gentle sadness and beauty that arises from the impermanence of things. Sakura bloom brilliantly, yet only for a brief time, making their presence all the more meaningful.

By re-composing the blossoms from a vintage textile, the artwork mirrors this idea of transformation. Materials that once belonged to a garment used in the past are given a new life, allowing the memory embedded within the fabric to continue unfolding in another form.

[Characteristics of the fabric]
The artwork is created from a hand-woven vintage silk obi. Obi textiles are known for their exceptional weaving complexity and decorative richness, as they traditionally function as the visual centerpiece of a kimono.

The silk fibers reflect light softly, creating subtle variations in tone depending on the viewing angle. This gentle shimmer enhances the sensation of depth within the composition, echoing the way real blossoms catch and diffuse sunlight.

[About the frame]
The artwork is presented within a circular wooden frame. The round format reinforces the feeling of looking upward through a canopy of blossoms, as if the viewer is standing beneath a sakura tree and gazing into the sky.

The natural wood complements the softness of the textile and creates a quiet balance between organic material and crafted form.

Materials used:

silk (outside-layer), wood

Details:

• Collage on Other
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 50 x 50 x 4cm (framed)
• Framed and ready to hang
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Style: Geometric
• Subject: Abstract and non-figurative

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