Reflective Quality

Reflective Quality challenges the viewer’s relationship with self-perception through the strategic use of mirrors, frosted glass, and reversed vinyl text. Fragmented and obscured reflections invite a confrontation with the limitations of self-knowledge, prompting viewers to question how identity is shaped by external constructs and internal bias. By destabilizing the mirror’s traditional role as a source of clarity, Inouye reframes it as a site of ambiguity—where truth and illusion blur.

Drawing from mythological and literary references such as Narcissus, Echo, Snow White, and Cocteau’s Orpheus, the series positions the mirror as both a psychological and symbolic threshold. Reverse-written prompts and diffused surfaces disrupt passive viewing, inviting introspection rather than recognition. Engaging themes of vanity, perception, and fragmentation, Reflective Quality speaks to contemporary discourses in art and psychology, offering a nuanced meditation on how we see—and fail to see—ourselves.