三井淑香/Shizuka Mitsui

娘を産んで、初めて血の繋がりやルーツとなる土地について思いを巡らすこととなった。今まで常識だと思っていたことが当たり前でないということに気付く瞬間の連続でもあった。自分は様々な繋がりから断絶されたところにいたように感じていたけど、逆に無数の力に守られていたということを知った。無意識のうちに拒絶していた物事こそ、私を守ってくれている世界だと分かったのだ。そして、これまでに自分自身が何を継承してきていて、これから娘に何を伝えていくべきかを考えはじめた。娘や、世界中の子供たちや、未来の世界に向けて描こうと思いはじめたのだ。

After giving birth to my daughter, I found myself reflecting on my blood ties and the land of my roots for the first time. A series of moments led me to realize that what I had always taken for granted as common sense was not necessarily so. I had always felt as if I had been cut off from various connections, but it dawned on me that I was in fact protected by countless forces. I discovered that the things I had unconsciously rejected were actually the world that was protecting me. And now, I have begun to think about what I have inherited so far, and what I should be passing on to my daughter in the future. I have started to paint for the future for my daughter, for children around the world, and for the world itself.