youki hirakawa

Close your Eyes

Close your eyes / 2013-2015

Mixed Media / c. 100-year-old portrait photographs -modified, a single channel video / Full HD

The fluttering candles light a photo on a table—an old portrait of a young, beautiful woman. I don't know who she is, but she is staring at me, my studio, and the world. She never closes her eyes; she never even blinks. She would probably be about 130 years old if she were still alive. I imagine her life, love, family, and what she saw. I put my hands gently on her face, closed her eyes, and let her sleep. It is already time to sleep. And I imagine again where she sleeps now.