Terumasa Ikeda: Iridescent Lacquer

            Though Arabic numerals are by no means a modern invention, Ikeda’s iridescent depictions against the infinitely deep black urushi lacquer immediately evoke a mental image of a computer screen or the internationally iconic title sequence from the film “The Matrix” (1999). Ikeda’s objects—ceremonial tea utensils, treasure boxes, and precious containers—push to refashion the visual language of raden to include the electronic realm of data that now dominates the globalized world. Ikeda’s meticulous process took eight years to develop: from native Japanese kiso hinoki cypress, Ikeda sculpts and refines the shape until the thin walls allow for the passage of light. Encased within black urushi lacquer, the grain of the kiso hinoki is wholly saturated and densified. Whereas the interior is finished with coats of gold in the maki-e style, Ikeda’s true innovative artisanship is in his treatment of the nacre-inlaid surface. Designed by hand and then interpreted digitally with a computer program as a stencil, Ikeda’s iconic numerical pattern is intricately engraved from the prepared abalone shell using a laser cutter. Placing the perforated shell into water, Ikeda uses ultrasonic waves to free the glyphs, which are then set onto the adhesive lacquer by hand. The result is a futuristic miyabi artwork—eternal, never tarnishing, mesmerizing—that invites viewers to enter the virtual world through a conventional medium that has been cherished and coveted for more than a millennium. 

            Please join us in celebrating the unique creations of Terumasa Ikeda, who is debuting his work in the United States for the first time, on display from March 16th until April 20th, 2023. The artist will attend a forthcoming reception hosted by Ippodo Gallery at 32 E 67th Street, New York, 10065, to discuss his work and answer questions. All are welcome.

About the Gallery

Committed to creating shared craft- and Japanese culture-oriented experiences, Ippodo Gallery has worked directly with over 200 artists and held thousands of exhibitions over three decades. Keiko Aono founded Ippodo Gallery Tokyo in 1996, with two locations in the heart of Ginza and the residential area of Gotenyama. Daughter Shoko Aono opened Ippodo Gallery in New York in 2008, forging new connections with a global audience. Since then, she continues to witness the timeless cross-cultural impact of Japanese kogei art that transcends language.

References

Rong Lu, Takashi Yoshida & Tetsuo Miyakoshi (2013) Oriental Lacquer: A Natural Polymer, Polymer Reviews, 53:2, 153-191, DOI: 10.1080/15583724.2013.776585

            “In an age without religion, perhaps information has become our god.” Ikeda spent eight years perfecting his unique technique: using a laser to cut the hand-drawn numerals from the nacre layer of abalone and other gastropod shells, he then puts the mother-of-pearl sheets into a water tank that pulsates with ultrasonic waves, freeing the delicate symbols. He is forever striving to increase the atomicity of his work, shrinking the numerals from ‘0’ to ‘9’ until they reach the microscopic level, imperceptible to the naked eye. He completes everything by hand, using a bamboo skewer to position each of the numbers on the black-lacquered wooden base, pushing his personal skills to the limit. He next applies a coating of lacquer, then after it has dried, another, building up innumerable coats before honing them down to a thickness of a mere 0.05mm. The thinner the pieces, the clearer and more transparent the shell becomes. What we see is the light refracted, creating a beautiful iridescence. If we trace the course of these carefully aligned numerals with our eyes, it feels as if we are watching a science fiction movie, or being drawn down into a labyrinth.

            Whether hexagonal, cylindrical, triangular, or square, each work is surprisingly weightless. Nearly all of his works are hollow boxes consisting of purely organic materials. Cut from Japanese cypress from the Kiso region, Ikeda’s decorations in natural urushi lacquer and mother-of-pearl imbue the entirely organic mediums with a totally inorganic appearance. Depending on the angle in which they are viewed, the light seems to fluctuate, the numbers scattered across the surface appearing and disappearing in a transient manner. The lasting impression is that of a circuit board; should the electric current be cut, it seems is if the numerals would disappear altogether. Perhaps the works question the digital world upon which we rely. Having lost our religion and secluded ourselves from nature, we are attracted to data and the internet as means of satisfaction. However, the iridescence of Ikeda’s mother-of-pearl is a altogether different from the light of the computer: it is impossible to extinguish. As long as lacquer exists, as long as people retain the sensitivity to appreciate the light of the mother-of-pearl, the iridescence will continue to shine radiantly. It is the light of hope, the most precious beauty bestowed upon us by nature.