[Exhibition Commentary] Saki Honjo Solo Exhibition: "The Sticker Residue Still Remains."
We are pleased to host the Saki Honjo solo exhibition, "The Sticker Residue Still Remains.," at Picaresque Gallery from Wednesday, July 22, to Sunday, August 2, 2026.
For this exhibition, we asked Saki Honjo about the 10 works on display.
We hope you enjoy them.
Please introduce yourself.
I am an artist living in Osaka.
I give form to delicate childhood memories and emotions that exist before they can be put into words, using various materials such as clay, fabric, and vintage beads. My work primarily features motifs like stuffed animals—which are like alter egos for young children—as well as toys and candy wrappers.
Recently, I have been using so many beads and ribbons that my studio has started to look like a treasure chest.
Could you tell us about the concept of this exhibition?
When I was a child, stickers were something special. The time spent sticking them onto my favorite things brought a joy like collecting treasures. First and foremost, I wanted to express that fun time. On the other hand, as we grow and learn, there comes a day when we want to peel those stickers off. However, the sticky residue does not disappear easily; it remains as a dark mark. I think life also has such marks that do not disappear even when we peel things away. They do not vanish completely, even with the passage of time. But perhaps, when we look back, those marks we wanted to erase were actually important parts that shaped who we are today. When I realized that, I felt that those marks might be beautiful elements that create the one-and-only existence that is 'me.' That is the theme of this exhibition.
Could you tell us about the concept of the works you are exhibiting?
When I Grow Up
The oval in the frame represents the residue left behind after peeling off a sticker.
I was conscious of making the unnatural marks make the work look more beautiful and interesting.
Also, the open part at the top right of the frame is where young, immature emotions come into contact with the outside world.
In this solo exhibition, there are several works that express this kind of unstable sensation.
seed I
When my daughter was young, she was trying to draw a flowerpot and asked me, 'Mom, is it okay to draw things that are invisible?' When I nodded, she drew seven seeds in the flowerpot that she had buried there earlier. I felt a kind of human strength in my daughter, who imagined that the seeds were sleeping there. That stayed in my heart for a long time, and I had always wanted to paint this series.
seed II
This is part of the 'seed' series.
Inspired by my conversation with my daughter, I expressed plants that firmly absorb nutrients and grow in the soil before becoming beautiful flowers, replacing them with young emotions.
I also included a wish that, although the inside of the soil cannot be seen, it would be a warm, gentle, and fun world. Children make this their home base before setting off into a new world.
Let's Think of the Next Game
This work expresses a happy time surrounded by favorite things. The central part of the work, representing young emotions, is protected by the delusions in the frame. I depicted how those delusions, created in the subconscious, spread as if overflowing.
This piece uses stone powder clay, which is being shown for the first time in this exhibition. It is a material that can express very vivid colors, so I hope you enjoy its fresh hues and a texture that is a bit different from pottery clay.
Here, This Is for You
This work is also made with stone powder clay. Another feature of both works is the use of brass leaf. This brass leaf shines gold now, but its color will change over time. It will become a slightly more subdued color due to oxidation and other factors, but that overlaps with the theme of this exhibition, and I hope it becomes a work that affirms that transformation.
Storytime on a Rainy Day
I expressed a quiet, protected time spent surrounded by favorite things while listening to the sound of the rain. The secret base-like places we made as children, gathering only our most precious things, remain somewhere in our hearts even now that we are adults. These small experiences have a huge impact on how we live our lives. I would be happy if this work serves as a trigger to remember such a place.
House-sitting
While house-sitting alone, the house I thought I knew so well showed me a different side of itself. The quiet room, the air without a sound, the swaying of small shadows. That strange sensation was a little scary, yet somehow strangely comforting.
The way I saw the world as a child remains deep within my body even as an adult.
I am expressing that slightly ticklish sensation.
A Dream Seen in the Morning
Dreams just before waking up in the morning are hard to distinguish from reality or a misunderstanding at first. This work gives form to the feeling of moving back and forth between the world I see now and the world I felt as a child. Memories before they become words, feelings that cannot be explained, and scenery remaining deep in the subconscious. They are still breathing quietly somewhere in my heart. Even as adults, we sometimes wander into that world and return to reality. I created this while cherishing the time spent on that boundary.
The Continuation of Hide-and-Seek
The place in my early memories that I could always return to might not exist anywhere anymore. Even so, we continue to search somewhere in our hearts for the comforting scenery we felt as children. This work depicts that slightly lonely feeling.
Even though the game of hide-and-seek is already over, the fact that we are unconsciously made to think we must keep searching feels like a self-protective reaction, and I find human emotions themselves to be endearing.
There's Still a Sticker Residue.
When I was a child absorbed in play, the fulfilled feeling of having everything in the world and the inexplicable anxiety deep within it always existed at the same time. I feel that within those swaying emotions, we gradually found our own selves.
The blank space on the upper left of the work represents the marks left after peeling off a sticker, or the back side. By hanging a framed picture there, I hope to heal the wounds, even if just a little, and wish for people to find a new place to belong and move forward.
Could you please share a message for your customers and everyone planning to visit?
This time, in addition to pottery clay, there are also works using stone powder clay. Also, I have used many new vintage beads. Each material has a rich expression that cannot be fully conveyed in photos.
I have conveyed this through words so far, but my desire for you to feel the actual works in front of you has grown stronger. I am sure that you will complete the works through your own individual emotions and memories.
I would be very happy if you could see the original works at the venue.
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Saki Honjo, thank you for sharing so many valuable stories.
This is a rare opportunity to see all of Saki Honjo's exhibited works in person. We look forward to seeing you there.
Saki Honjo Solo Exhibition: "There's Still a Sticker Residue."
〈Exhibition Period〉 July 22 (Wed) – August 2 (Sun), 2026
〈Details〉https://picaresquejpn.com/saki-honjo_exhibition_2607/
〈Saki Honjo Official SNS〉
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Artist Information
Saki Honjo
While I am drawing, if I suddenly look up, for some reason the colors of the room start to shine all at once. In that moment, my 6-tatami mat room becomes like a jewelry box that has been turned upside down.
I love that time.
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