Carved birds in driftwood, reinterpretations of old furniture... In an old warehouse converted exhibition hall on Dongdaming Road on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, Japanese sculptor Noriju Mizuta's "Ancient Props Exhibition" and the dappled historical traces of the warehouse tell the story of time and memory.
From May 27, Mizuta's solo exhibition will be exhibited here, and his works and spaces are imaged between finished and unfinished, constituting a kind of empty aesthetic.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1977, Mizuta graduated from the Shinagawa Vocational Training School in Metal Modeling and began making sculptures and furniture in 2003 using driftwood and urban waste materials picked up on the beach or river.
Panorama of the exhibition space
"I like to use all kinds of materials such as flowing wood, glass, iron, wood, and waste wood, and I like things that smell, rust, decay, and are missing because they have a sense of time," says Noori Mizuta. will show traces on these old materials. ”
Exhibition site
However, Japanese artisans do not include their works in the category of art, they are more of a living object integrated into the concept of art.
The relationship between artifacts and works of art can be traced back to Liu Zongyue and the "folk art movement" he initiated in the 20s of the 20th century. "Folk art" is a term pioneered by Liu Zongyue, which refers to "people's craftsmanship". The authors of folk crafts are all nameless craftsmen; And these everyday utensils are made for use, not for appreciation.
The "Design Intention Book of the Japan Folk Art Museum" released in 1926 used the term "folk art" to call for the discovery and attention of folk art. Liu Zongyue believes that the beauty of folk art is much higher than the beauty of other arts and crafts, because the beauty of folk art includes "practical beauty", "people's beauty", "natural beauty", "healthy beauty" and "traditional beauty". What Liu Zongyue tries to explain is that beauty should not be a sensory judgment triggered by vision, but should be a harmony that is in tune with people's lives. "Artifacts are more beautiful because they are used, and people are more willing to use them because of their beauty. Here people and things have a master-slave bond. ”
At the beginning of the 21st century, following the concept of the "folk art movement", crafts represented by ceramics gradually attracted attention in a way that was more integrated with modern lifestyles, and its representatives Masanobu Ando, Kazumi Tsuji, etc. integrated "life crafts" into their creations, dissolved the shelved art appreciation into daily use, and reinterpreted the handicrafts between art and industry.
They shed their identities as "artists" and "works of art", referred to themselves as "authors", and sold their handmade utensils ("living crafts") in the form of fairs. Trade fairs aren't just held in galleries, and many lifestyle stores have been born.
A dog-shaped object carved from interestingly shaped wood
This trend of focusing on art and lifestyle has also come to China in recent years, and Mizuta's exhibition is a continuation of this trend. In the exhibition, these old things have been recreated and processed to give the author a feeling. Mizuta Norijutsu usually walks by the sea to find and collect interesting shapes of wood, or goes to a vintage store to buy furniture with traces of history, and after bringing them back to the studio, he will stare at them for hours, imagining what they will look like, a process that Mizuda Norijutsu loves the most.
Exhibition site
In this process, he does not use the drawing board to sketch, most of the drawings are done in his head, and he will adjust accordingly as the engraving progresses. Therefore, his work is almost impossible to repeat, and the decaying wood, after being carved, not only has both form and spirit, but also has a quiet energy.
Birds made of driftwood
The most impressive works of the exhibition are a series of birds made of driftwood, which give delicate emotions in the space with a withered and free temperament. "I only hope that the expressions of the carvings, the texture of the furniture and the atmosphere of the whole space can touch their hearts and help them create their own stories." Mizuta Norijutsu said.
Exhibition site
According to Gu Hongchao, the curator of the exhibition, the many materials used by Mizuta Norijutsu show the immersion of Japanese "monomono" culture, "he discovers or restores the original atmosphere of those images." 'They' retain the neglected natural texture to resist the impetuosity and noise of industrial society. ”
The exhibits displayed in the architectural space, with the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, also let the audience feel the most direct way of handicraft into urban life. Although the exhibition itself is a product of the consumer society, it is also a manifestation of a lifestyle.
Exhibition poster
The exhibition will last until June 3.