‘Konketsu’: Alia Sugawara Is a Silent Observer of Her Own Art

Alia Sugawara’s Konketsu (混血) is a deeply contemplative and serene exploration of tradition, intuition and duality. Currently on view at otherthings by THE SHOPHOUSE in Hong Kong, the exhibition is tucked away in Tai Hang – an unassuming neighborhood quietly teeming with modern art and creativity – and marks the Japan-based artist’s international debut.

For this milestone showing, Sugawara presents a new series of works elegantly rendered on traditional Japanese washi paper using black sumi ink. The body of work features an array of formats, including hanging scrolls, folding screens and mounted works, all of which utilize the natural bleeding and absorption of the ink to reflect a delicate tension between ferocity and grace.

“…I want to maintain some control, but what I love about sumi is that you can’t completely control it.”

Enhancing the exhibition’s contemplative intensity is a series of high-profile collaborations with renowned Japanese creators, such as UNDERCOVER’s Jun Takahashi, art director Tetsuya Nagato and ceramicist Kenta Anzai. Technically, Konketsu represents a significant evolution in Sugawara’s use of traditional materials. For this show, she transitioned from the more controlled dosabiki (treated) paper to a traditional, non-treated washi. This shift required her to relinquish control, as the ink bleeds more freely on the raw fibers. By painting “thousands of butterflies” to master this volatile interaction, Sugawara has achieved a new level of growth, creating lines that she believes possess a deeper, more inherent beauty than her previous, more structured work.

At the heart of her practice is a deeply intuitive process that eschews over-calculation in favor of what she calls “observing” her own art. Her primary motif – a fusion of butterflies and bats – emerges from a “pile of images” in her mind, sparked by real-world experiences in nature. “I don’t really come up with anything,” she admits, describing her role as a vessel for interactions with the plants and animals that transform in her mind’s eye. This instinctive approach results in works that are both strange and naturally calming, inviting the viewer into a space that is profoundly peaceful.