ArtShop Tsukibae

I produce art by using lacquer. Lacquer is sap taken from lacquer tree, and has been long used as excellent paint or glue for various works, sculptures, buildings, etc.
I had once been attracted to the beauty of its painted skin. However, I am now more fascinated by the somewhat cyclic structure of lacquer... taking the sap taken from a lacquer tree, painting it once again onto wood using the human hand, and changing it into a beautiful coating film.

Lacquer has a strong connection with human, similar to silkworms. It cannot grow strong in the woods by itself, and needs the help and care of the human hand in order to grow strong and healthy. It has been supported by human, vise versa, and is a part of nature intervening with human.
I call this way of nature expressing its true features through the care of human hands, and not by conflicting with artificiality, "artifact nature," and have proposed it so in my doctoral dissertation.

This state of nature and my interest in cyclic structure of lacquer, is my fundamental motive to producing art. I am trying to produce art by expressing lacquer's natural state full of life, free from prejudice or fixed concept of lacquer art.

Production scenery

I try to produce my artworks by comparing/combining the coincidental naturalness and the artificial creation.
Transforming the accidental shapes and textures made through metal netting and plaster by using lacquer, expresses that my artworks are created and supported by lacquer.

Lacquer art is a curious word, because lacquer itself is in a form of liquid and cannot form into something by itself. However, we artists acknowledge lacquer as a main principal of art. This may seem ironic, but is pointing out the fact that lacquer art cannot be applied to the conventional art principle.

I view this as the same as the relationship between shape and color. Color usually also needs some sort of shape to have a meaning, and it is not viewed as a substantial matter. However, like lacquer, it cannot stand by itself but has its own world of becoming substantial. Lacquer forms shape by color, and color forms shape by lacquer. I try to produce my artworks with the theme of lacquer and color with an open mind that lacquer is not just black or red, but can be considered as the main and central part of art.