Table of Contents
ToggleDialogue with Reclaimed Wood
In the summer of 2024,
I left Japan and moved to the Netherlands.
My base of operations shifted from Tokyo to The Hague.
Inspired by this entirely new environment,
I began incorporating "reclaimed wood"
into my work starting in 2025.
On the street corners, large metal skips
are occasionally placed.
Inside, they are mostly filled with materials discarded during house renovations.
I climb into these skips myself
to engage in a dialogue with the materials.
Shapes, scratches, deterioration, and textures—
each piece is a unique material overflowing with character.
Every one of them bears traces of having been part of someone's life.
They are filled with layers of time and hidden stories.
In them, I find "Wabi-sabi" dwelling.
The destiny of meeting these materials
at that specific moment and place
embodies the spirit of "Ichi-go Ichi-e".
(once-in-a-lifetime encounter)
I pick up a part of them,
clean them, and sublimate them into works of art.
I breathe new life into them.
I bring them back into the cycle of life.
By incorporating this process into my unique technique, Cosmic Rhythm, I believe the work itself carries a deeper narrative.
I also believe it encompasses meanings such as environmental inquiry, circulation, and sublimation.
These processes, and the fact that the works
are eventually owned or exhibited by
someone, somewhere—
I consider all of this to be the manifestation of
"The Law of Interdependence" taught by
Shakyamuni (Buddha) (around the 5th–6th century BC).
Note:
Wabi-sabi: A Japanese aesthetic that embraces imperfection and impermanence.
Ichigo Ichie: The spirit of cherishing each encounter and moment as once in a lifetime.
The Law of Interdependence: The idea that all things exist through mutual relationships and dependence.
About:
Artist Statement:
How I breathe life into reclaimed wood.
Cosmic Rhythm Series:
