Ai Hashimoto

Un- familiar Landscape

This art work was inspired by transcription of Buddist sutras. Transcription of sutras for praying for peace and security is widely practiced in Japan from ancient times. Nowadays meanwhile it is also popular to take a look yourself again through transcribing sutras irrespective of religious practice in these days. It is not necessary to understand all philosophical meanings of sutras. Instead, it seems to be more important to reduce stress and to enhance concentration by continuing writing characters with a brush and ink.

These works are collaboration with a master of coloring bronze and copper wares in Japan. A color of bronze is depending on type of metals and components of alloy, polishing levels and coloring techniques. Colors from Japan-specific techniques are totally unique. Unlikely paintings and frescos, metal objects were less paid attention regarding colors. However masters of coloring bronze and copper wares in Japan have a variety of coloring techniques and methods, which were inherited from ancient times and originally developed. In Europe, coloring bronze generally apply spraying or painting on surface of products. Colors from Japan-specific techniques are totally different. It is difficult to find such masters even in Japan though, they understand in a sensitive way how to adjust components of solution or timing of heating up on the basis of weather, humidity, components of alloy, polished levels. A point worthy of special mention is that Japanese masters often use local ingredients, which are closely related to Japanese lifestyle such as a green tea, grated radishes, sake, rice bran, soured plums and of course URUSHI - Japanese natural lacquer, for coloring.

Children used to play in a property of shrines surrounded by trees in Japan. They should feel sacred and solemn atmosphere after going through a shrine gate, however children enjoyed playing with wooden or stone made multilevel structures and objects. Even a sacred space without any ceremonies becomes a playground for children. I have made a sculpture called Kinoko. Kinoko is a creature with a mushroom head and it creates a new world after the Pink Tsunami disaster in my narrative story. I have represented the sculpture inside of an old western building. Structures and decorations of the building were considered as a part of art works. It was represented as a sacred and solemn existence. On the other hand an exhibition in The Hague last year, Kinoko was represented at a different circumstance. It was situated at the entrance hall of a big window at a gallery. There was a kinder garden next to the gallery. Small children, who are not visitors of the gallery in general, could see a part of the sculpture from outside. They were so excited and kept waving their hands to the sculpture. It should be as a sacred and solemn existence under my story. However Kinoko was just a comical mushroom man for them in the situation. I realized that the work can be represented in a different space and atmosphere. A sacred existence in a story can become an icon of a playground in another story. The new situation makes possible to move on the image and the narrative to the next stage.

Ai represents an installation and video called “The Kinokian rite”. Kinokian is those who worships Kinoko as the God. Ai creates a link between the abstract spiritual realities and the real forms of the material world.

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Landscape after Pink Tsunami disaster (my narrative story)

I represent a new mythology called Pink Tsunami, which describes how the world came to total destruction. Typically, symbols have the form of words, sounds, and ideas. This story, shown only with visual images, represents a number of different meanings and ideas. In this way the story brings personal images and stories to the reader based on their experience and environment, giving them more room to read in a different way. Mythology was traditionally transferred by the oral tradition on a small scale. During this process, the story was modified, arranged, simplified and details were added. I have tried to reproduce the same process of mythology all on my own by drawing images in different styles and materials over and over again.

Landscape after Pink Tsunami disaster (my narrative story)