Tin Cans 1955

In this artwork, 'Tin Cans,' by Tsuruko Yamazaki, we observe ordinary objects transformed into something evocative. These metallic blue cylinders arranged in a seemingly casual manner offer a rich field for exploration of symbols. The can, a vessel, has been with us since antiquity as a symbol of containment, preservation, and potential. Think of Pandora’s Box or the alchemist’s crucible. Here, Yamazaki presents the cans as containers of modern life, reflecting our consumerist society back at us. The metallic blue evokes associations with both industrialization and the sublime – a shimmering, almost celestial color applied to mundane objects. This tension between the ordinary and the extraordinary is powerful. It echoes the eternal human endeavor to find meaning in the everyday. Like the ouroboros, this artwork contains the potential for endless reinterpretation, inviting viewers to contemplate the cyclical nature of objects, memory, and meaning.