From Out of the Deep

The phrase echoes Psalm 130 — De profundis — and by long association Irish writing on grief, loss, and address from below. Akino's combination of etched plate and applied gold leaf turns the surface into a register of two depths: the physical bite of acid into copper, producing the dark recesses that hold the ink, and the reflective gold sitting on the paper as a contradicting plane of light. The pairing suits a title concerned with rising, emergence, or appeal. Within her wider practice, gold and silver leaf operate as a deliberate citation of Japanese decorative tradition — Rinpa-school grounds, sutra papers, lacquer inlay — overlaid onto the European intaglio matrix she works on at Graphic Studio Dublin. The 2024 prints in this register tend toward marine or atmospheric subjects rather than named landmarks, allowing the leaf to function compositionally as light source rather than as ornament tied to a specific topography. The work sits with the contemplative, non-located group in that year's output.