It is breezing

After completing the sculpture course at Kyoto City University of Arts in 1977, Nishino visited the remains in various countries all over the world. Upon his return to Japan, he submitted his works to exhibitions such as The Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan and The International Art Exhibition, Japan. In 1988, he won The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama Prize at the Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition at the Suma Detached Palace Garden, Kobe. In 1989, he won The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Prize at the Contemporary Japanese Sculpture Exhibition (UBE Biennale). He has made numerous monuments in which the expanse of the space or an airy flow can be felt.

The look of a saxophone has been captured faithfully and enlarged. Together with the musical fountain, it is familiar as the symbol of Kita-Urawa Park. Considering that the majority of Nishino’s works are abstract in tendency, this work may seem an offshoot, but it won the prize awarded by our museum at the Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition at the Suma Detached Palace Garden, Kobe and proved a significant turning point. Nishino began by making a wooden mold, around which he wound wire as the weft. He then welded the wires forming the warp, removed the wooden mold, and attached the parts on the exterior. The golden luminance is obtained by consecutively applying a coat of titanium oxide on the wire surface while electrolyzing the water and applying appropriate voltage. Contrary to its refreshing appearance, this work required an overwhelming amount of time and effort. After being damaged in an unfortunate incident in 2002, with the artist’s cooperation, it was reinstalled having altered the material from stainless steel to titanium.