Fume by Chishi Morimura blurs the boundaries between painting and sculpture, memory and myth. Rendered on a fragment of driftwood, the work carries an archaeological sensibility—like a relic unearthed from the subconscious. The wood’s jagged, organic edges serve not merely as a canvas but as an integral part of the story, suggesting a past shaped by nature and time. The figures, delicate and dreamlike, are painted with shell powder and natural pigments, imbuing them with a ghostly luminosity. Their closed eyes and subtle postures evoke a quiet introspection, suspended in a timeless space. Morimura draws from the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, embracing impermanence and imperfection, allowing the wood’s flaws to harmonize with her ethereal subjects. This interplay of material and image creates a haunting, whimsical tableau—an invitation to linger within the poetry of transience.