A Face of Drops

Sakura’s figures, usually displayed under a series of female names, blend personalities with the style and shape of a natural form — the combination returning a surreal and shrouded portrait with allegories to folk or fantasy. The intaglio-printed tree form of ‘Carole’ is one of Sakura’s more whimsical creations, the bulging eyes and dashing feet looping into a lineage of character storytelling from Japanese anime to the fables that inspired them, the artist playfully exercising a sense of motion that allows a particularly compelling visual description — the branches whipping backwards and feet blurring in their hurry.