Fukumi Nakazawa (Kyoto University of Art and Design)
In February 2019 I visited many graduation exhibitions, including those of the Tokyo University of the Arts, the Five Art Universities’ Show, and Kyoto University of Art and Design.
It was an opportunity to encounter a great deal of talent — the technical skill, the creative ideas, the messages embedded in the works — and to see the stance today’s students take toward their own art.
Among all of these, one of the most memorable was a body of work by Fukumi Nakazawa, a graduating student of Kyoto University of Art and Design, including her piece A Town — Town A.
I had seen her work at the Kyoto University of Art and Design graduation show as well, but the “Spaceship Earth” installation at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum was even better, so I will introduce this venue here.
The special exhibition “KUAD ANNUAL 2019 Spaceship Earth” is a curated show of graduation works from Kyoto University of Art and Design, organized by Mami Kataoka, a professor at the university. Fukumi Nakazawa was chosen from 32 artists in 24 groups on display.
Nakazawa produces animations from a large number of drawings on washi paper.
Once the animation is complete, all of the washi drawings that were used are glued together into a single mass, and this three-dimensional object becomes the final packaged form of the work.
The flat washi drawings begin to move, and by acquiring time, thickness, and weight, they express a solid presence as living creatures.
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The animation is projected from behind onto suspended washi
The characters in the animated works have extraordinarily strange forms and motions, moving about as creatures that exceed one’s expectations. The unpredictability of these characters is one of the great charms of Nakazawa’s work.
She depicts people who have transformed their own bodies to become instruments serving various purposes.
The ideas behind these motifs — the characters and so on — are fascinating and draw you in.
The largest piece, the three-dimensional form of A Town — Town A, is said to weigh more than 70kg.
The video work and the sculpture together form a single work. The video will not be issued as an edition, apparently.
Looking through Nakazawa’s drawing book, one sees vibrant line drawings taking on various forms — it was fascinating to view.
She appears very confident in her line work, and every drawing is alive with dancing lines.
After graduation, Nakazawa is planning to move abroad and further pursue the possibilities of her practice as an artist.
It will be exciting to see what kind of work she will produce next.
Fukumi Nakazawa Official Website
*You can also view the video works.
