STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ASUKA HISHIKI

23rd Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Strawberry

Fragaria × ananassa

If you are in the supermarket in spring here in Japan, you will find several different varieties of strawberry in the fruit and vegetable section. Then, let’s say, you move to the next market just a few blocks apart, and you will also find several different varieties of strawberry packages. However, the varieties can be completely, utterly different from the varieties at the previous market. We Japanese love strawberries. Yes, I think it is one of the cutest fruits although it can be a bit grotesque looking if you see it up close and spend too much time together staring at it. The middle-priced package normally tastes great. Let me tell you, Japanese strawberries are very flavorful and taste really, really good! If you come to visit us, please add “eating strawberries” to your trip do-to-list. A package contains 6 to 15 strawberries and costs $5-15 US, depending on the size and variety. Of course, there are super luxury ones. The strawberries sit in a fashionable box in a department store...I didn’t pay too much attention to strawberry varieties until this came under my radar for my next painting. I searched a bit and found there are about 300 varieties registered at the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, and there may be about half of them at the market right now. At least I found 86 varieties are surely available. Then I thought of the line between natural and artificial, and whether those strawberries are natural products or our artificial invention. Improving the breed is essential to our survival. That is one of the very important solutions of sustainable agriculture, producing the maximum food from a limited source, and possibly resistance from disease and insect invasion, and hopefully, more tasty, more desirable, more popular, more commercially successful products.... Thanks to the effort, we can have tasty and reasonably priced fruits and vegetables at our dinner table. Yet, I cannot stop thinking if somehow we have crossed a fine line? Between candy like a sweet strawberry and a $100 jewel like a dozen strawberries sitting in a luxury gift box at the department store showcase.  

Suddenly I was confused. So, I added a flower and a pollinator, and pondered again. Then, eating the delicious middle priced strawberries, and sitting face to face with my strawberry painting, I pondered more. It is easy to say something reasonable or point out the problem, but it is not easy to find the answer.

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist’s work: 22nd Annual