An artist who "sewing" together the time that leaves and seashells have experienced.
(Top image) "Memories of the Mountain" (detail), 2019-2020. Petals, leaves, branches, fruits, seeds, fruit peels, thread, cloth, photographs (set of 5), artist's collection. Photography: Shintaro Yamanaka [Qsyum!]
Go, see, and experience the world of art
File.30 "Mariko Sakuse Exhibition | Sewing Life"
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)
Sewing up life.
I was intrigued by the title of an exhibition scheduled to be held at the Yokohama Museum of Art this spring. It seemed to depict a somewhat heavy world, but the accompanying images of the artworks also conveyed a sense of innocent cuteness.
First of all, what exactly is this?
The exhibition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the mystery remained unsolved as summer ended.
And finally, the time has come to solve the mystery. The "New Artist Picks 'Mariko Sakuse Exhibition | Sewing Life'" has been announced!
With the opening on November 14th (Saturday) approaching, I had the opportunity to speak with the author, Mariko Sakurai, so I went there feeling very excited.
Ms. Sakuse, who had always been interested in fashion, decided to study "making things" after realizing the difficulty of actually creating what she envisioned. However, since the Craft field of the Department of Composition in the School of Art and Design at the University of Tsukuba, where she enrolled, did not offer textiles, she reluctantly chose woodworking. What a unique life story.
"Naturally, I was surrounded by many people who created 'beauty in utility,' such as tableware and chairs. In that environment, I wondered, 'What can I do?' and I arrived at 'sewing.' I grew up with my grandmother, who was an embroidery teacher, so I wanted to try sewing, something my beloved grandmother always did."
And that's how the "Sewing Wood" series was born.
* Exhibition view of the "Sewing Wood" series. Photo by Shintaro Yamanaka [Qsyum!]
"I like things that have aged over time, like tree rings, things that make you feel the passage of time. I drill holes with a drill press, following the tree rings and grain of the wood, and then sew along those holes. I sew while contemplating and connecting with the time that the wood has lived through. I think I'm enjoying this world of time play."
Because it's made from natural materials, the bark sometimes peels off or chips during the production process. These fragments are then carefully sewn together with a needle and thread.
"Sometimes pieces break off along the way, but I think sewing them back together is an interesting process."
Ms. Sakuse, who grew up in Sajima, Yokosuka, loves the sea, and her home is filled not only with wood scraps but also with many seashells. Of course, she also sews with seashells.
"I find it fascinating to feel things from the materials, so I often end up picking up all sorts of things. My family has warned me before, saying, 'Be careful, there might be something residing in them' (laughs), but as I work on them as part of a piece, I feel like the stories that the materials hold become ingrained in them, and I find that feeling interesting as well."
*《Shell Prototype》 (partial) 2020 Shell, thread Photography: Shintaro Yamanaka [Qsyum!]
When placed alongside these, the artwork used for the exhibition's promotional materials gives a slightly different impression. And that's because it's a piece that captures the time spent with the artist's grandmother, who passed away last year. It incorporates the grandmother's favorite sweatshirt, flowers from the garden, mint leaves, the fur of her beloved cat, and a lock of her grandmother's hair. The artwork is said to be a collection of many memories sewn together with a feeling of gratitude.
* "The Day of Threads - 2" (partial) 2019. Petals, leaves, silver thread, hair, cat hair, grandmother's sweatshirt. Artist's collection. Photography: Shintaro Yamanaka [Qsyum!]
"The flowers and leaves may eventually fade and fall apart, but I want to leave behind the 'handprints' from when I sewed them in place. I brought the artwork to the museum in the spring, so the colors and textures may have changed by now, but that change is also interesting. It's a very personal piece, so I hesitated to make it public, but I hope that it will give viewers something to think about."
While the exhibition was postponed, Ms. Sakuse gave birth to her second child. When I visited, she was working on a new piece based on an idea that came to her during childbirth. The material she chose was the cotton dress she was wearing when she gave birth.
"There's a lot of bleeding at the moment of childbirth, isn't there? Many people have a 'scary' image of blood, but at that moment, I felt incredibly relieved. A sense of relief that the baby had come out safely along with me. And that blood, too, changes over time. I'm stitching those feelings into my work."
Ms. Sakuse has been sewing together pieces of wood, flowers, seashells, and memories of deceased family members. Her next creative theme may be the newly blossoming "life."
New Artist Picks
Mariko Sakuse Exhibition | Sewing Life
[Dates] November 14th (Sat) - December 13th (Sun), 11:00 - 18:00
*Café Ogurayama is open from 10:45 to 18:00.
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of Art, Art Gallery 1, Café Ogurayama
[Closed on Thursdays]
[Price] Free
[Organizer] Yokohama Museum of Art (Yokohama Arts and Culture Foundation)
[Cooperation] GALERIE PARIS, Café Ogurayama
[Inquiries] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)
