Dialogue with Reclaimed Wood

First, in the summer of 2024, I left Japan and moved to the Netherlands. My base of operations shifted from Tokyo to The Hague. In an environment where everything was different, I received much inspiration, and from 2025, I began incorporating "reclaimed wood" into my work.

On the street corners, large metal skips are occasionally placed. Inside, they are mostly filled with materials discarded during renovations. I climb into these skips myself to engage in a dialogue with the reclaimed wood. 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 stories. In them, "Wabi-sabi" dwells. Furthermore, the destiny of meeting these materials at that specific moment and place embodies the spirit of "Ichi-go Ichi-e." I pick up objects with which I feel a connection (En) and clean (Misogi) them. Then, I sublimate them into works of art. I breathe new life into them. I circulate them. By incorporating this process into my unique technique, Cosmic Rhythm, I believe that elements of nature (the Cosmic) enter the work, and the work itself carries a deeper narrative. I also believe it encompasses meanings such as environmental inquiry, circulation, and sublimation.

All of these processes, and the fact that the works are owned or exhibited by someone, somewhere—I consider all of this to be the workings of "The Law of Engi" (The Law of Interdependence) taught by Shaka (Shakyamuni) (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.
Misogi: The act of washing away impurities to restore the object to a pure state.
The Law of Interdependence: The idea that all things exist through mutual relationships and dependence.

About:

Artist Kota

Artist Statement:

How I breathe life into reclaimed wood.

Cosmic Rhythm Series:

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