The Sculpture form is undecided.

Being published in many significant works like Vanitas, ruins of skull and temple are colonnades in the venue. Because of the unique quality and fascinating color, KUWANA Saeko’s ceramics have an extremely solemn appearance, and possess aesthetic quality. On the other hand, let us take the ceramic white tiger in “Stuffed Object Tiger” as an example. It is associated with regular vulgarity, like wearing pattern on whole body and covering with socks on foot. The sound roar from the inner part of the tiger acts like the forgery of the tiger, making it like a cheap figurine.

At the beginning of the production, inside the premium pattern of the Western-like church building, there is a copy of “Amida Falls in the Depth of the Kiso Road” by Katsushika Hokusai. That is to make a contrast between Western and Eastern, and between solid and plane. This characteristic is becoming more and more complicated recently. With the reference of images and memories, plus the repeating copying skills of scrappy elements, a special chimera has then been transformed to. Moreover, because of the extremely pictorial simulacra, the surface of the ceramics is being determined.

With the presence of both the heaviness of ceramics and the lightness of images, we are passive to receive loads of information from the artist. In front of viewers, there are ceramics which combine a large number of images on the surfaces. They are named as “like something”. They imply the meaning of the images. What we can see from the artwork, is the gap between intangible elements, and the attitude of the artist when she handled the elements. The artist aims at making intangible things tangible by combining the elements on the surface.

The series of “Edit Region”, one of the new artwork, are based on sculpture found in a former church. Different upper parts and bottom parts are stuck together with a middle part where words are carved on it, in order to form a new body. Furthermore, the artwork displays “Yoroshiku” and “Pleasure”, “Kanashimi” and “Sad”, showing both Katakana (a form of Japanese languages” and English of certain emotions. This is to express the relationship between each side of the plurality of information, and at the same time to form a combination of things which are similar to each other. However, the title – “The Editable Domain” – means that just like “wikipedia” where different users can edit the information freely, the artwork are combined with different form of elements. There are possibilities to change the elements, but they just keep certain elements to be shown at a particular time.

KUWANA always bases on pictorial quality of artwork to keep the possibility of exchange by grouping different elements. For example, window pattern, table, tiger-shaped figurine, etc. “The aspect to tableware( A skull on Books)” groups different kinds of pillar and kettle, which is similar to “For New Palace#2” which groups objects with obvious layers such as table, book and skull. In this structure, the exchange between table and pillar, and words are made visible.

To keep such possibility, the form of the sculpture is still waited to confirm. Through the holes of the skull there is water coming out, repeated roar by the tiger, sparkling of a lamp, etc., these are qualities regarded as a plus. Table is also regarded as tableau. Artwork itself has a high mobility. The sculpture by KUWANA is like painting on canvas, make the surface by different memories and images, and use water, sound and light to make its form undecided.

Books: Keisuke Mori
Born in 1978. Specializes in art criticism and modern Japanese art.Ciba Art Musiun Curator.
Publish: Tokyo Art Navigation “Artist Pick Up 2013”
https://tokyoartnavi.jp
Translated: ON YI CHAN(Ohshima Fine Art)