Between 2 and 3 (tulips and vase)

Edition: 6

When standing before this artwork, viewers may experience a momentary sense of bewilderment, wondering: "Is this a two-dimensional painting, or a photograph capturing physical space?"

This series, a signature body of work by Ayako Ishiba, is created by drawing ink outlines directly onto everyday "three-dimensional objects" (3D), such as mugs and fruits, and transforming them into "photographs" (2D) through the apparatus of a camera.

It reveals how easily we are deceived into perceiving an object as flat based merely on the minimal visual cue of a "black outline." The work quietly, yet with a touch of humor, brings to light the inherent ambiguity of human perception.

By employing "photography"—a medium traditionally expected to document reality exactly as it is—Ishiba intentionally deceives the viewer's eye. Traversing the boundaries between painting and photography, as well as the two- and three-dimensional realms, her expression offers a lighthearted reinterpretation of the fundamental act of "seeing" in contemporary art. (Miaki Gallery)