Tokuhiro Kawai Japan, b. 1971
Dream Guardian, 2021
Oil and tempera on panel
45.5 x 33.3 cm
Copyright The Artist
Further images
'An explorer is taking a nap on a bed in a mansion that he stops by on his way. The scene, drawn as if it is underwater, represents a haunting...
"An explorer is taking a nap on a bed in a mansion that he stops by on his way.
The scene, drawn as if it is underwater, represents a haunting dream that he is having, and in it a halfbeast
(a lion) half-fish (a shark) creature fiercely attacks the explorer with its fierce sharp fangs. His
beloved cat, having the identical pattern as a Malayan tapir, which is believed to devour dreams,
summons a chimera of the tapir (upper body) and a dugong (lower body) and saves its master from the
nightmare. Straddling the chimera is an angel appearing in the image of the god of the sea, which is a
sign that the cat is having an auspicious dream."
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