Washi Transformed by ACC Art Books

Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper is curated by Meher McArthur. The exhibition is organized and toured by by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. © 2021 International Arts & Artists. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced without written permission from International Arts & Artists (IA&A) and the author(s). IA&A is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally through exhibitions, programs, and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of IA&A and Scala Arts Publishers, Inc. Essay Texts © 2021 Meher McArthur, Hollis Goodall Published by International Arts & Artists, Inc. 9 Hillyer Court NW Washington, DC 20008 ArtsandArtists.org | 202.338.0680 Edited by Zachary Marschall Designed by Simon Fong, simonfong.com and Katrina Villavicencio, katrinavillavicencio.com Front cover by Alejandra Roman, Graphic Designer First published in 2021 by Scala Arts Publishers, Inc. 1301 Ave. of the Americas 10th Floor New York, NY 10019 www.scalapublishers.com Scala — New York — London Distributed outside of the venues in the booktrade by ACC Art Books 6 West 18th Street 4th Floor New York, NY 10011 ISBN: 978-1-78551-327-5

Printed in 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Design, Text and Photography Copyright © 2021 International Arts & Artists Book Copyright © 2021 Scala Arts Publishers, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: Names: McArthur, Meher. Contemporary washi art. | Goodall, Hollis. History of traditional Japanese papermaking. Title: Washi transformed : new expressions in Japanese paper / Meher McArthur, curator. Description: Washington, DC : International Arts & Artists ; New York : Scala, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: "Washi paper has been used as a base for Japanese calligraphy, painting, and printmaking as well as a material in architecture, religious ritual and clothing. Contemporary Japanese artists have turned this supple yet sturdy paper into an artistic medium. Contemporary artists from Japan, France, and the United States. Artists discussed include Hina Aoyama, Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe, Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka, and Ayomi Yoshida"-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2020046057 | ISBN 9781785513275 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Paper art--Japan--21st century--Exhibitions. | Prints--Japan--21st century--Exhibitions. | Japanese paper--Exhibitions. Classification: LCC N7355.6 .W37 2021 | DDC 736/.980952--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020046057

Frontispiece and pp. 94–95: [Detail] Yuko Nishimura, Continuous Form, 2020, Kyokushi paper, 24 x 24 x 12 in., Image courtesy of the artist, Photo by Yosuke Otomo, © Yuko Nishimura and Yosuke Otomo. Front cover: Kakuko Ishii, Musubu W1, 2007, Washi paper (Mizuhiki), 27 ½ x 7 ⅞ x 7 ⅞ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Kakuko Ishii. Back cover: [Detail] Yuko Kimura, Little Waves, 2020, Etching, monotype on kōzo handmade paper and kōzo bark fiber lace, thread, 8 x 29 ½ in., Image courtesy of Verne Collection, Photo by Will Slabaugh, © Yuko Kimura. Every effort has been made to acknowledge correct copyright of images where applicable. Any errors or omissions are unintentional and should be notified to the publisher. Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper has been made possible in part by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii 1 5

Acknowledgments Introduction A History of Traditional Japanese Papermaking: From Surface to Sculpture by Hollis Goodall

Contemporary Washi Art: Exploring Dimension, Scale and Texture by Meher McArthur

Artwork

Figure 1: [Detail] Hina Aoyama, Voltaire, 2007, Black origami paper, 19 ¼ x 19 ¼ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Hina Aoyama. Figure 2: Opposite: [Detail] Takaaki Tanaka, Land of Nest, 2019, Kōzo (mulberry fiber paper), flax, iron, 15 ¾ x 90 ½ x 90 ½ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Takaaki Tanaka.

Paper has played a ubiquitous and intimate role in Japanese culture for well over a millennium. First introduced to Japan from China in the seventh century, the material has been used in Japan not only as a surface for writing texts and drawing images, but also in architecture, clothing, lighting, toys, and other areas of daily life. Over the centuries, Japan’s papermakers have used strong natural fibers and sophisticated

To the artists featured in Washi Transformed,

production techniques to create some of the

however, washi is not merely a surface; it is the

world’s finest handmade paper. Since the

primary medium for their work. The artists—Hina

nineteenth century, this handmade paper has

Aoyama (see Figure 1), Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe,

been known as washi (和紙), or “Japanese

Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko

paper”—to distinguish it from European paper,

Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka (see Figure 2), and

or yōshi (洋紙)—and has been praised by artists

Ayomi Yoshida1 —deftly transform traditional

around the world for its unique qualities. Yet even

Japanese handmade paper into abstract

in Japan, where fine-quality papers are highly

sculptures, lyrical folding screens, dramatic

admired and widely used, the role of paper in art

installations, and highly textured wall pieces.

has traditionally been secondary to the image

Whether working in Japan, the United States, or

or text applied in ink (and sometimes pigments)

France, all of them demonstrate the resilience,

to its surface. When assessing the artistic value

versatility, and endless potential of this traditional

of a painting, for instance, attention is paid

paper as a medium for contemporary art. Several

predominantly to the line, composition, color, and

of these artists make their own paper, and so

subject matter of the artist’s work on the paper.

have a profound understanding of its structure

The paper itself might be examined to determine

and strength, and can skillfully manipulate the

the age and authenticity of the artwork, but rarely

material from its very core. Each of the artists

is it deemed a significant factor in the piece’s

selects a particular type of paper, depending on

artistic or art-historical value.

their needs—whether for its ability to hold folds,

twists, or incisions, or to absorb pigment or fragments of antique papers. They also consider the material’s surface texture, appearance and translucency. Though their techniques and artistic forms differ greatly, they are all alike in introducing new textures, scale, and dimension to the realm of paper art. Washi Transformed is the first traveling exhibition to focus on washi as a medium for contemporary art. I would like to thank the lenders for this exhibition—Heather James Fine Art, Erik Thomsen Gallery, Kylin Gallery, and the washi artists themselves—for sharing extraordinary works of art with our audiences through this exhibition and catalogue. This publication has been made possible through the generous support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. I would like to thank the IA&A staff for their enthusiasm and professionalism in the creation of the exhibition and catalogue, and the catalogue design team for their elegant creation. I am also grateful to Hollis Goodall for her extremely accessible and illuminating essay.

Prefecture.4 Internationally renowned artists, from Robert Rauschenberg and David Hockney to Ida

Conclusion

Shōichi, expressed their fascination with washi

In the years since this twentieth-century washi

and their personal reasons and methods for

resurgence, many artists have continued to

working with handmade paper.

discover in this unique paper—in its physicality, translucency, and evocative allure—a rich and

In the years following the 1983 paper

undiminished inspiration for their work. The artists

conference, Kyoko Ibe and the printmaker

in this exhibition have devoted themselves to

Kurosaki Akira developed and taught classes

an impassioned, if increasingly lonely, path to

in paper art at (respectively) Kyoto Institute of

maintain their connection with the extraordinary

Technology and Kyoto Seika University. After the

properties of washi—its subtle strength, its

1983 conference, Echizen papermaker Yanase

ubiquity in Japanese life and culture, its innate

Hikozaemon the 12 demonstrated the making

elegance. Their timeless, astonishing masterpieces

of the world’s then-largest sheet of paper (at the

of the art of paper speak for themselves.5

Figure 5: Opposite: Kyoko Ibe, photograph from Recycling: Washi Tales, 2009, Image courtesy of the artist and Elise Thoron, Photo by Isaac Bloom, © Kyoko Ibe.

time) at 5.5 meters square. Later in that decade, the mass production of ever-larger sheets of high-quality washi became possible—and at less expense—through mechanical means; and it is from these manufacturers that Kyoko Ibe now sources the paper for her room-scale art works and theater designs (e.g. Recycling: Washi Tales) (see Figure 5).

Opposite: Kakuko Ishii, Musubu W1, 2007, Washi paper (Mizuhiki), 27 ½ x 7 ⅞ x 7 ⅞ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Kakuko Ishii.

Kakuko Ishii, Musubu W0, 2006, Washi paper (Mizuhiki), 5 ⅞ x 7 ⅞ x 11 ¾ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Kakuko Ishii.

[Background]: Eriko Horiki, Six-Panel Folding Screen, 2019, Washi paper and steel frame, 82 ¾ x 23 ⅝ x ⁶⁄₁₀ in., Photo by Seiji Kondo, © Eriko Horiki. [Foreground]: Eriko Horiki, Washi Art Table, 2016, Washi paper, acrylic, light fixture (steel), 23 ⅝ x 9 ⅞ x 9 ⅞ in., Photo by Seiki Kondo, © Eriko Horiki.

Eriko Horiki, Washi Light Object TANE, 2017, Washi paper and resin mold, light fixture (steel), 23 x 13 ⅜ x 8 ¼ in.; 15 x 11 ⅜ x 9 ½ in., Image courtesy of the artist, © Eriko Horiki.

Yuko Kimura, Indigo Mushikui II, 2019, Etching, monotype on antique woodblock pages from Japan, collage, 10 x 50 in., Image courtesy of Verne Collection, Photo by Will Slabaugh, © Yuko Kimura.

Yuko Kimura, Little Waves, 2020, Etching, monotype on kōzo handmade paper and kōzo bark fiber lace, thread, 8 x 29 ½ in., Image courtesy of Verne Collection, Photo by Will Slabaugh, © Yuko Kimura.

Yuko Kimura, Shiwa Shiwa, 2020, Monotype on pleated antique woodblock pages from Japan, thread, 32 x 7 ¼ in., Image courtesy of Verne Collection, Photo by Will Slabaugh, © Yuko Kimura.

Yuko Nishimura, Continuous Form, 2020, Kyokushi paper, 24 x 24 x 12 in., Image courtesy of the artist, Photo by Yosuke Otomo, © Yuko Nishimura and Yosuke Otomo.