Duality: Land of the Rising Sun

To celebrate Nihon, 'land of the rising sun', I have depicted the duality of futuristic and traditional Japan before and after sunrise. At night, neon-lit streets and oversized billboards (selling video games, smartphones, motorcycles, sushi and kawaii 'cuteness') light up Japan's highly developed cities, while its cherry blossoms and traditional architecture are gilded by daylight.

In homage to Japanese kaiju and mecha, I have played with scale so that these microscale landscapes are towered over in a relatively gigantic, tranquil garden pond; the modern city becomes a man-made sculpture with water feature, while traditional Japan blooms from its iconic lotus flowers and lily pads. A towering Geisha, a traditional artisan, wears a traditional kimono, while modern youth wear the cutting-edge fashion of Harajuku.

Japan's famous koi fish, one classic red and pearl, the other robotic, encircle the sun to symbolise the harmonious duality of futuristic and traditional Japanese culture.