1.Introduction

   The purpose of this study is to introduce a group of exceptional Japanese artists and investigate how they are utilizing non-traditional materials to explore the three-dimensional form.

   Before modern times, most three-dimensional artworks, such as statues of a deity or historical figure, were commissioned by religious or political authorities to symbolize the figure’s permanency and monumentality. The materiality of these works, usually stone, metal or wood, reflected this permanency. 

   By the second half of the nineteenth century, especially in Europe, sculptors became interested in personal, rather than public themes. Auguste Rodin most represents this shift and is therefore considered to be a pioneer of modern sculpture. While this change in theme was significant for art history, the materials and techniques for creating these artworks did not evolve as dramatically. 

   It was during the first quarter of the twentieth century when one of the most significant shifts in materials and techniques was provided by Marcel Duchamp in the form of the Readymade. From this point on, the range of material and techniques used to create artworks began to expand rapidly and continues in the present with seemingly limitless possibilities. 

   For most artists, the “unlimitedness” of materials and techniques is a double-edged sword. However, with careful research, we can discover remarkable artists who are succeeding at creating three-dimensional forms which beautifully merge concepts and visuals with non-traditional materials.

2.The six Japanese artists  and the influential thinkers and philosophers.

　For this presentation, I would like to introduce six Japanese artists who utilize non-traditional materials and the influential thinkers and philosophers in their works.

(1)ARAKI Yukari (b.1983) - Shinto religion and NISHIDA Kitaro 

   Araki adopts various mass‐produced goods as her primary materials. While it may be easy to regard her works as Readymade, they go beyond that as her technique utilizes complex and thoughtful combinations more akin to modeling and synthesis.

   She has been making her works by combining various objects in three dimensions. The basic physical method of her working process is Assemblage.

   Assemblage was adopted by many artists from the Dada, Neo-Dada and Nouveau Réalisme movements. But, in comparison with them, there are three distinguishing features of Araki’s works.  

(a)Many of each component in her works is small and not heavy, she can hold each with one or both hands, regardless of the whole size of the work.

(b)In some cases, a part of the individual components reminds me of “Femininity”, such as a high-heeled shoe or sewing set.

(c)Unlike the works of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, the components of her works are not destroyed or metamorphosed.

   From here, I bring your attention to the ideological background of her works.　Araki has an interest in some religious and philosophical thought. Among them, I would like to focus on Shinto religion and the modern Japanese thinker, NISHIDA Kitaro.   Her interest in Shinto religion draws from its relationship with her hometown. She was born in Mie prefecture. This prefecture is known for one of the most famous Shinto shrines, “Ise Shrine.” Shinto is an animistic and polytheistic religion which originated in Japan. A common notion in Shinto is “The gods dwell in all things.”  Araki states, “I have been influenced by this notion” and has visited the shrine every year since she was a child. This influence is seen in (c) especially as the non-destructive nature of her practice shows her reverence for each item.

   With regards to Nishida, Araki states that she was struck by his statement, "To be creative is not to be separated from the world, but to be a working component within the creative world.”  Features (a) and (b) in Araki’s work relate to this statement, as those reveal a physical and conceptual affinity between her and her works. 

   Finally, when separated from the original context, I sometimes find myself creating unexpected association of ideas with her components. For example, the bobbin reminds me of the symbol for radiation hazard. 

(2)HISAMURA Taku (b.1977) - YANAGI Soetsu, founder of the Mingei Movement

　Hisamura focuses on the embroidered “trademark” from well-known fashion brands like Polo or Izod.  They serve as the starting point of his practice.  He likens these trademarks to real statues.

   The artist changes the mass-produced clothing into artwork through two methods. The first is the addition of a pedestal motif through stitching. This process transforms the trademark into a “public sculpture” or “museum work.” The other process uses a frame and references traditional two-dimensional artworks. 

   Because trademarks are recognized worldwide and public sculptures or museum pieces are cultural properties for all citizens, both are “something shared by the public”. This emphasizes the connection between the before and after stages of Hisamura’s hand. In this way, he skillfully incorporates several concepts within his work.

   On the other hand, Hisamura shows his interest in the sensory element with the following statement, “I received an education with an emphasis on conceptualism, but I could not abandon my intuitive nature.”  Regarding this point, Hisamura mentions the Japanese thinker YANAGI Soetsu. Yanagi was a founder of the Mingei movement. 

   Mingei means “folk art” and the movement finds beauty  in handcrafted goods created by ordinary people.

   I draw your attention to several features in Hisamura’s work that reflect this way of thinking. The first is the use of free-hand stitch. The second is the method of display which is a non-orderly arrangement connecting his work with our daily life. 

(3)IWATANI Yukiko (b.1958) - Laozi (老子)’s  “Wu-Wei and Ziran(無為自然)”

　 Iwatani creates her works from delicate dried weeds. In many cases, she finds material from areas surrounding the exhibition site. Even more intriguing, some of  these works metamorphose  from the energy within the plants themselves.  In this way, artificiality and vitality work against and with each other to co-exist in Iwatani’s artworks.

   In her statement on her website, she says the following, “Plants, insects, animals, soil, water, and human beings are just elements of this world. Don’t forget that in fact we are alive because of many things and we cannot control everything.” (https://iwayuki249.wixsite.com/yukiko-iwatani)

   Unlike animals, the boundary between life and death of plants is gradual. For example, the seed of certain kind of plants can sleep for thousands of years before waking up. Therefore, it is difficult to define the length of lifespan for plants. This fact reminds me that not all creatures live on the same timescale.

    Iwatani states that her way of thinking is influenced by various traditional Asian schools of thought. Among then, I am interested in exploring the influence of Laozi ‘s (老子) “Wu-Wei and Ziran (無為自然)” which means “attitude of non-action and entrusting of the laws of nature”.

   Within Iwatani’s works, materials are combined without changing their physical characteristics. Sometimes, the form and color are transformed by the light, temperature, or the energy within.

   In addition, I want to remark on the relationship between her works and location. In a number of her works, she collects plants from areas surrounding the exhibition site. Through this action, the work contains the memory of a particular area and season.

   Through three simple actions - collecting, combining, and displaying, Iwatani creates an ephemeral meeting place between the material, environment and viewer for thinking about life and the laws of nature.

(4)YAMAMOTO Naoki (b.1963) - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher

   The themes of his work are “sense, society, and memory.” He frequently makes expressions about urban landscape and political leaders. In some cases, he also plays with words of topicality like “missile.” His message is relatively ironic and sensational.

   On the other hand, he adopts unexpected materials for his works compared with his themes, like something sweet - sugar. For example, at the first installation I saw, he drew some critical terms and figures, including Donald Trump, using sugar on the walls, and constructed a miniature Tokyo with 30,000 sugar cubes on the floor. In other works, he has drawn the image of a person with fruit juice and visualized it by heating it.  

   In a recent interview (http://syuumatunoart.com/), he describes his mental state when creating work, “By erasing myself and hearing surrounding voices, I can create my works smoothly. The condition is similar to a kind of shaman”. In the same interview, he states his wish as follows, “In the future, I would like to visit some areas of conflict and grasp the situation there. Then I will make works using sugar and local sweets to taste the works and present moment with local people”

   When I asked him about thinkers that interested him, he mentioned several figures. I will focus on is the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti who lived in Europe from 1911 to 1921 because his career has some points in common with avant-garde artists in the same time period. In particular, he was known as a theosophist who strongly denied traditional sense of values in this particular field, an attitude in common with some Dadaists of the same generation like André Breton. In addition, Krishnamurti parted ways with religious society in his mid-thirties, a similar age when Marcel Duchamp separated from the art world.

   An important aspect of Krishnamurti’s theory is how to overcome an attachment to oneself. After his secession from the religious community, he traveled all over the world and had numerous conversations with people during over half of century.In these conversations, he treated these people with respect, as equals, and as friends. This equivalence between self and others is also seen in Yamamoto’s shamanism. 

   By using something sweet and ephemeral like sugar, the artist says, “the works will disappear after the exhibition, but viewers who appreciate the works will remember my message whenever they see sugar.” It reflects his hope of sharing the memory with the viewers beyond the actual exhibition.  

(5)TAKASHIMA Hideo (b.1981) - YAMAGUCHI Masao, Japanese anthropologist

   Takashima studied Japanese style painting, ceramics, and sculpture and merged aspects from all three techniques to develop a unique method for creation. He is interested in exploring the relationship between interior vs. exterior, especially the balance and imbalance between the two. He expresses this through the depiction of animal or human-like forms as open vessels.

   Takashima’s works have a very impressive appearance. The viewer, at first, recognizes an animal or human-like form, but then they may feel a kind of discomfort when looking closer at the form of the head. Instead of a face, there is a hole which is humorous, but may also cause fear.

   This unique structure reflects his strong interest in the “relationship and boundaries between contrasting things” such as interior and exterior and holy and unholy.  Unlike most sculptures, the inside and outside of his sculptures are connected to each other via the edge of a hole.

   While a student, Takashima became interested in the book “culture and duality” by Japanese anthropologist Masao Yamaguchi. This researcher was known for his studies of hermaphroditism and the trickster. These themes have much in common with Takashima’s interests.

   What I pay attention to is Takashima’s way of modeling. Normally, when artists make three-dimensional work, they focus on shaping the outside of the works. But in the case of Takashima, he focuses equally on shaping the sculpture from the inside. Because his structures are similar to a vessel, he can treat the inside surface much like a potter would.

   I also mention his approach to painting which focuses both on outside and inside as well. These decorative patterns guide the eyes and consciousness towards the inside. Takashima’s works ask the viewer to not only be concerned about outside but also the inside of the works, reinforcing the character of duality by unifying the two sides.

(6) yukaotani (b. n.d.) - Kamo no Chomei (鴨長明)’s “Hōjōki (方丈記)

  yukaotani creates gold transparent Buddha forms with hard candy. Her installations with multiples of the Buddha form are sublime. For religious art, it is important that the idol remains unchanged. However, discerning viewers will notice yukaotani’s works releasing a sweet scent as they slowly melt and lose their revered form. Buddhism teaches the "transience of all things" over a long time so yukaotani actualizes this spirit by circumventing conventional practices of making.

   She trained in glass technique in Japan and the United States. Since her training, she has adopted various transparent materials, not just glass but also candy, water, and light. One of her representative series “ANICCA” is composed of multiple gold transparent Buddhas. Once installed, the figures melt over time and finally disappear. Witnessing their fragility, I remember one of essential concepts of Buddhism “impermanence.”(諸行無常)

   yukaotani states that “Hōjōki (方丈記、The Ten Foot Square Hut)” by Kamo no Chomei (鴨長明) is an important guidepost for her continued work as an artist. The writer Kamo no Chomei acted as poet and essayist from 12th to 13th century. During his lifetime, the Japanese governmental system changed and the administrative capital city also moved. The Hōjōki was published in 1212 and it is one of three major essays about Japan. A well-known feature of the essay is the description about frequent catastrophes during that time serving as an important historical document as well.

   During those turbulent times, the writer built a small hermitage and lived there to keep his distance from society. The essay is famous for the idea of “how to survive,” but also speaks to the denial of attachment including love. This way of thinking is influenced by the Buddhist philosophy of “impermanence.” In short, presupposing the existence of “force majeure,” the writer explains his opinion for living better. 

   yukaotani creates her work knowing that it will disappear, but never compromises making perfect beauty in its first appearance. The contrast between completeness and disappearance strengthens the concept of “impermanence”

3.Conclusion

   In summary, through careful research we can discover remarkable artists who are succeeding at creating three-dimensional works with non-traditional materials. At the same time, they are not only exploring how to make unique forms but are also reflecting the influences of various thinkers in their concepts.  

   This young generation of artists I have introduced could have chosen a variety of digital or virtual techniques but they have continued to search the possibilities of tangible materials and techniques by hand. The physical nature of their work backed by each of their unique concepts will continue to attract more and more interest and viewers as their careers develop in the future. 

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