Ikuko Arita
I went to the solo exhibition of sculptural artist Ikuko Arita, held at Gallery Kingyo (Nezu). It was my first time seeing Arita’s work, but I had been looking forward to it, drawn to her distinctive, characterful expressions.
Her basic process is to make “stone clay,” shape it, and then apply color.
“Forever emotional, forever”
At Gallery Kingyo, about 7 to 8 minutes from Nezu Station, the artist herself was present at the gallery, and I got to hear all sorts of stories. As you step through the entrance, a small “Canary” greets you up front. With an upward, endearing gaze as if welcoming its master, it seems to send its eyes your way.
But the moment you turn your gaze back to the front, a chainsaw-wielding girl appears, standing in your path as if she has swept in briskly, cutting through the wind. The mismatch between her fresh expression and the chainsaw is wonderfully surreal.
Something that runs through every piece: the carefully crafted modeling and the neatly applied coloring extend down to the finest details, and that made a strong impression. That meticulous quality of the work leaves a great impression.
Further in is a girl gazing at a pair of red shoes with a complex expression and sense of distance. I was told it is a work based on the film “The Red Shoes.”
The unit striking a pose atop a white, stage-like pedestal at the center is the largest of them all, “Forever emotional, forever.” Including the backdrop that shines like a gold folding screen, it is like a dazzlingly cool, stylish figure. Its slender, well-proportioned form is enough to recall Giacometti’s elongated sculptures — truly so emo!
On the back of the guitar boy’s T-shirt, a tour schedule is printed, which was oddly realistic…
Even seen from afar it still has real presence, seeming to pull the whole space crisply together.
There was also a boy carrying a canary on his back.
A baby (?) with a truly complex expression was also shown in a photograph, cradled in the arms of the artist’s mother. Perhaps she is delighted to be able to hold her grandchild…
Three pairs of mother and child incorporating flowers. You find yourself searching for the emotion behind their blank expressions, and depending on the angle, those expressions even seem to change.
The “Neko-Inu” (cat-dog) somehow feels like something you have seen before. The male figures snuggled up beside it, like Kitaro, are a characterful presence.
The file of past works placed in the venue is packed with pieces so funny they make you break into a smile. While the gallery’s pieces center on large works, her earlier works seem to have centered on small ones.
There were so many works I wanted to welcome into my own home that it was hard to choose.
Summary
Every piece is unmistakably Arita’s work at a single glance. It is easy to have your eyes stolen by her distinctive way of making expressions, but the completeness of the modeling in her plaster-clay works is also superb, and it was well worth the trip to the gallery. It was a joy to see them in person.
She apparently makes drawings as well, and there seem to be all sorts of possibilities in three-dimensional works like these. She is definitely an artist to watch from here on!
