youki hirakawa

Milkyway

Milky Way / 2025

Vintage Ashtray made in Occupied Japan, Cow Milk

At a flea market, I found an ashtray made in Occupied Japan—
a curious object with an even stranger design.
This small ashtray, shaped like a woman’s delicate hand,
leaves us with more questions than answers.
Why would someone create a design in which cigarette ash
is meant to be extinguished in the palm of a human hand?
And who ordered such a thing to be made?
What does the frilled cuff at the wrist represent?
The small piece of milky-white ceramic seems to cradle
a pool of milk within the hand.

Two glass balls are part of installation "East er".