The Energy of Paper

December 13th, 2011 at 08:00am Erica

Remember that project in elementary school where you made paper out of gluey pulp and let it dry? For most of us, that’s the extent of seeing paper as anything near to art. This is not the case for Japanese artist Yoshio Ikezaki, who has made a career out of creating stunning pieces of paper using unusual materials and innovative techniques. 

Specialty handmade paper, or washi, has been a facet of Japanese design for centuries. When I traveled to Kyoto over the summer, I visited a high-end washi store in a historic district of the city. There, I learned that washi is used for a variety of purposes in Japanese daily life, such as origami & calligraphy paper, Shinto ritual objects, umbrellas and even the Shoji wall screens of a traditional Japanese home

Yoshio Ikezaki’s manipulation of washi in his 2001 series Paper Samples is a more aesthetic take on the traditional material. The artist studied under Master Printmakers Shigemi & Shigeyuki Matsuo before distinguishing himself as a leader in contemporary washi design. Among some highlights of Paper Samples, which can be seen in MAD’s recently opened show ‘Beauty in All Things,’ is Moyoushi Seni-ga, a fiber ‘landscape’ painting. Ikezaki uses kozo (mulberry paper) to make a foundation sheet before pouring unbeaten, dyed stringy fiber on top of the sheet and letting it dry. The effect is mysterious and ethereal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another unique example is Moyoushi Sukikongou-Shi, which contains a photo laminated with chemical emulsion over the paper, creating an abstract image.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Come see these paper samples for yourself at Beauty in All Things at MAD.

 

Entry Filed under: beauty in all things