In Yukio Mishima’s novel, Hayashi Yoken’s act of burning the Pavilion emerges as a poignant reflection on the clash between idealization and corruption. At 22, Yoken grapples with the notion that if true beauty exists within the temple, his own life feels irreparably estranged from it. By setting fire to this emblem of perfection, he seeks to preserve its image untarnished by the moral decay of the world around him. This act symbolizes not only a rejection of the corrupt leadership exploiting the Pavilion but also a profound psychological struggle: a desperate desire to reconcile the unattainable ideal of beauty with the harsh realities of existence. Ultimately, Yoken’s destruction of the temple serves as a powerful commentary on the lengths one might go to free themselves from the constraints of imperfection, echoing the timeless conflict between aspiration and despair.
oxydized zinc & aluminum, 2022, 110x70cm
