Eggplants

Eggplants is an unexpected departure from Kokei's kabuki portraiture into the realm of still life. The nasu (eggplant) carries rich symbolic weight in Japanese culture: appearing in the auspicious New Year dream sequence (ichi-fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi — first Fuji, second hawk, third eggplant), and prized in summer cuisine for its deep purple skin and yielding flesh. Kokei applies the same precision he brings to kabuki costume — the careful registration of color blocks, the attention to surface texture — to these humble vegetables, revealing an eye for form and color that extends well beyond the theater.