Washi paper has been integral to Japanese culture for over a thousand years. Unique for its strong natural fibers and its painstaking production techniques, washi stands out as a nexus of tradition and innovation. Its continuing importance as an artistic medium is due to the ingenuity of Japanese contemporary artists, who have pushed washi beyond its historic uses to create highly textured two-dimensional works, expressive sculptures, and dramatic installations.
In Washi Transformed, artists Hina Aoyama, Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe, Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka, and Ayomi Yoshida embrace the seemingly infinite possibilities of washi, underscoring the unique stature this ancient art form has earned in the realm of international contemporary art. Using a range of techniques – layering, weaving, and dyeing to shredding, folding, and
cutting – their breathtaking creativity builds a cultural bridge out of something as seemingly simple and ephemeral as paper.
Education for the Arts is proud to partner with the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for this exhibition.
These nine contemporary Japanese artists are revisiting their nation’s traditional material and elevating it into a medium for expressive and often spectacular works of art. – Meher McArthur, Curator