‘The Matrix’ has been my favourite movie since it released back in late nineties. I have been drawn to the movie in so many ways and this gravitation has only grown through the years. In this piece, I wanted to bring together different elements of inspiration. I used the iconic black and green binary code and red spiral to represent the infamous ‘red pill.’ The binary code is arranged in bars to depict a prison cell. The ensō is a nod to the Zen Buddhist artform, however, drew an outside-in spiral in a counter-clockwise direction as a way of saying that the journey into the centre can often be seen as ‘backward’ or ‘illogical.’ Finally, the title of the piece, akai gan’yaku, is ‘red pill’ in Japanese — an ode to the Japanese culture that has positively influenced much of my life.
