Ippodo Gallery debuts at Salon Art + Design the concept Growing Roots: The Next Generation of Japanese Art featuring a range of works made of gold and silver shibuichi; mother-of-pearl; marble; wood and lacquer; cinnabar and charcoal ash; mulberry paper; blown glass; forged iron; and clay. 14 contemporary artists leading Japanese aesthetics innovate classical design tenants and ancient formulas to forge new styles. On view from November 7–11 at Booth B4 in the Park Avenue Armory in New York, this exhibition reaches across disciplines to show the evolution of Japanese design that begins with a root in tradition from which to expand and refine.
The deeper the history, the greater the capacity for imagination and creative potential. Meticulous and detailed-oriented craftsmanship has developed into a defining facet of Japanese art. Growing Roots gathers masterworks of one-of-a-kind beauty and organic complexity. The artists’ hands are catalysts that invent beauty that could never come to be without ideas rooted in history that inspire new forms.
Terumasa Ikeda (b. 1987)transforms the iridescent interiors of abalone and oyster shells into futuristic renditions of electrical cables, digital screens, and high-tech computers. Laser cutting the wooden base and shells into exquisite shapes including Arabic numerals and fish scales, the infinitely deep surface is the product of deft hand polishing. Brothers Hajime (b. 1948) and Yasuo Ishikura (b. 1953) do away with the unnecessary complexities of iron to synthesize the soul of the metal through persistent hand pounding and shaping until a black patina creates a remarkable skin. Tetsuya Ishiyama (b. 1973) inlaid countless inflections of color into sculpted ceramic to mimic the strata of earth in uniform patterns. Yukiya Izumita (b. 1966) taps the unearthed capacity of clay to create unfamiliar sculptural formations with a visual lightness by layering sheets of contorted clay bands in building waves like sea stacks. KAKU (b. 1950) folds by hand Japanese washi paper around shaped wire to comprise a landscape composition of undulating layers that takes on vibrant life in the vein of Jackson Pollock. Three shimmering works of pounded fine metals by Hirotomi Maeda (b. 1961) serve as the centerpieces of the exhibition. Drawing from ancient techniques, the shibuichi inlay is scrumptiously designed and hammer-pounded little by little into sheets of pure gold and silver until the surface and form are perfectly balanced. Kotaro Mori (b. 1975) deploys the kana plane, made from the decommissioned samurai sword, to shape and hone wood furniture in the ways of old. His contemporary designs blends seamlessly with the traditional Japanese joinery that remains hidden from view. Jihei Murase (b. 1957) is an innovative force in modern Japanese lacquer, reimagining what constitutes traditional tea ware in hand-carved shapes that range from relic-like forms to abstraction. Hiraku Sudo (b. 1979) reproduces in metal to a fine degree the delicate fabrics classically used as carries for tea ware objects through studies of antique Japanese crafts. Kai Tsujimura (b. 1976) sets the standard for modern recreations of styles derived from the ancient kilns of Japan; raised in the hills of Nara under the tutelage of a potter famed for his free expression, Tsujimura evokes the classical forms while maintaining a strikingly modern flavor. Ikuro Yagi (b. 1955) approaches composition unlike artists of the past; the classic interior room divider (byobu), decorated with scenes of nature and animals to create an immersive experience, redesigned as a composite of countless paper small paper drawings of a forest come to life. Kan Yasuda (b. 1945) is one of Japan’s most celebrated and accomplished sculptors of this generation; his iconic white marbles—enticing audiences to touch the impossibly smooth surface—enrich the greatest museums, institutions, and private collections in the world. Laura de Santillana (1955–2019), who is the only non-Japanese artist represented in the exhibition, kept a rare work of exterior gold leaf away from the public in her private collections before her passing. Japan was a fount of inspiration from which she architectural and aesthetic elements into her blown glass. Shin Fujihira (1922–2012) is celebrated for mastering the notoriously challenging cinnabar form which he revealed the many color variations in iconic polychromatic hues.
Ippodo Gallery is a cultural bridge to Japan’s living master artists. Founded in Tokyo (1996-), the New York gallery (2008-) presents fine handcrafted and rare works created using traditional materials and methods. Each piece selected embodies Japanese aesthetic sensitivity that is born of a spiritual bond with nature. Ippodo's exhibition program features unique objects—fine ceramics, lacquerware, metal crafts, sculpture, paintings, and works on paper—that celebrate human invention, the natural world, and sublime beauty.
