Twelve Rings

This woodblock print presents the twelve-rings motif that recurs throughout Sora's body of work, here given its full English-language title rather than the numerical "12 Rings" designation. The rings, whether representing months, hours, or a purely formal structure, create a visual rhythm of repetition and variation as each ring overlaps with or stands apart from its neighbors. Sora's hand-carved and hand-printed process ensures that the twelve forms, while based on the same circular template, each carry individual character in their ink density, edge quality, and interaction with the paper's surface. The composition balances unity and diversity, using a repeated element to explore how small differences accumulate into a complex whole. The twelve-ring structure may carry temporal associations, echoing the twelve-month cycle or the twelve animals of the East Asian zodiac.