Hajimari-darake (Beginning Everywhere)

Aya Kakeda Solo Exhibition “Hajimari-darake (Beginnings Everywhere)”
Dates: April 6 (Mon) – April 15 (Wed), 2026
Hours: 12:00 – 18:00
Closing day (April 15) until 15:00
Artist in attendance:
Weekdays 12:00 – 17:00
Weekends 12:00 – 18:00
Reception Party: April 10 (Fri), 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: DEN Gallery
1-32-2 Higashi-Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo


Announcement of Aya Kakeda Solo Exhibition “Hajimari-darake (Beginnings Everywhere)”

DEN Gallery (Higashi-Nakano, Tokyo) is pleased to present “Hajimari-darake (Beginnings Everywhere),” a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Aya Kakeda. This exhibition will mark the gallery’s final show.

The exhibition will primarily feature Kakeda’s recent ceramic works, centered on her distinctive imaginary visual world that emerges from the realm of imagination. Drawing on her extensive experience working with clients around the world—spanning books, products, magazines, posters, and store installations—Kakeda has continued to give form to themes such as emotional fluctuation, social transformation, and pivotal moments in life through diverse materials and expressive approaches.

In her ceramic works, characters and narratives that once lived within drawings take shape as three-dimensional forms through the materiality of clay. Hand-formed and kiln-fired, these figures invite a sense of fantasy into physical space, bringing weight and presence to psychological landscapes that once unfolded on flat surfaces.

A series of works created in New York during the pandemic expresses swirling emotions amid social turmoil through ceramics and glass, exploring contrasts between fluidity and fragility, stillness and movement. In the series developed after returning to Japan, characters nurtured abroad are reimagined using Japanese clay and glaze, presenting new perspectives on identity and cultural transition. In recent years, prompted by the experience of childbirth, Kakeda has continued to create works that confront fundamental questions such as aging, coexistence, the passage of time, and the meaning of motherhood—while reflecting on the awakening of maternal instincts, bodily change, and shifting perceptions of time.

The title “Hajimari-darake (Beginnings Everywhere)” reflects a forward-looking perspective that embraces the emergence of new sensations and stories at each turning point in life. Visitors are warmly invited to experience Kakeda’s fantastical vision and the vibrant presence of her uniquely expressive characters in the gallery space.

DEN Gallery was founded by Randolph Den, who previously ran a gallery in New York and has supported a wide range of artists. This exhibition will conclude the gallery’s activities. The gallery hopes that artists and visitors who have been part of its journey will come together once more, and that this closing chapter will become a new “beginning” leading to future creativity and encounters.