Exploring the Duality of Life and Death Through Color at Sayuki Inoue's Exhibition

Exhibition Details

- Title: I Don't Know the Colors Seen at the Beginning and the End
- Artist: Sayuki Inoue
- Dates: October 31, 2025 - December 21, 2025
- Venue: Tojo Kaikan Photo Lab, 1-6-12 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from 1 PM to 7 PM
- Admission Fee: Free
- Web: Tojo Kaikan Photo Lab
- Instagram: Tojo Kaikan on Instagram

Sayuki Inoue, a notable photographer, will present her new exhibition at the Tojo Kaikan Photo Lab starting on October 31, 2025. Featuring the compelling theme of fear titled "I Don't Know the Colors Seen at the Beginning and the End," this exhibition invites viewers to engage with the complex interplay between life, death, and color.

Inoue's work emerges from her exploration of the fear associated with life and death, focusing specifically on the color red. This color is laden with symbolism and evokes deep emotional responses. However, she highlights that the interpretation of color is often ambiguous and subjective. Many people may see the same color yet convey different emotions and meanings based on their personal experiences. Inoue notes that traditionally significant colors, shaped by cultural contexts, have become diluted in our digital age, where they are consumed through screens inundated by social media.

What’s striking about Inoue's approach is her reflection on how light—the fundamental element of seeing—fades over time. Our perception of light and, by extension, color is fleeting; it diminishes and fades with repetition, ultimately disappearing into obscurity. This notion serves as a poignant reminder that even our most vivid memories are impermanent.

The historical setting of the photo lab, which retains the essence of the golden age of film photography, adds depth to Inoue's works. In this intimate atmosphere, viewers can immerse themselves in the thematic essence of "fear," contemplating not only the nature of seeing but also the experience of feeling colors.

Inoue’s artist statement connects her personal experiences with collective fears. Childhood memories of the red spider lily, often encountered in desolate fields or graveyards, evoke complex feelings of dread and foreboding. As she grew, she learned about the flower's toxic roots and its association with death, further amplifying its ominous presence in her life. She recalls having heard that the first color a person recognizes at birth is red, and astonishingly, it is also the last color perceived before death. This insight reflects the duality of life’s experiences and the exit from the world, inviting viewers to think critically about their own understandings of color and its emotional implications.

The exhibition will feature a series of interactive events, including a talk focusing on the significance of the color red, darkroom experiences encouraging participants to engage with color expression, and workshops for children that explore color interaction and enjoyment through creative play. Additionally, there will be a food event celebrating the color red through cuisine.

Designed by notable scenographers along with expert collaboration, Inoue's works reflect a lineage of photographic tradition while bridging the gap to contemporary experience.

For inquiries regarding artwork purchases, please contact Tojo Kaikan Photo Lab at [email protected].

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About Sayuki Inoue:
Born in 1974 in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, Inoue resides in Tokyo and graduated from the Photography Department of Kyushu Sangyo University. Her artistry delves deeply into themes of memory, perception, and the emotional weight of color through her photographic practices.

Her previous solo exhibitions include