Form of the wind

Japanese artist Masanori Nishikawa fuses ancient craftsmanship with contemporary ideas. A graduate of Tokyo’s University of the Arts, he has been the recipient of several high-profile awards including
the 1992 Takaoka Craft Competition and the Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition’s Grand Prize in 1993,
as well as a serving member of the Japan Craft
Design Association.
The unseen power of nature is celebrated within this poignant form. Using the traditional Japanese urushi lacquer technique of kanshitsu, layers of linen, paper, and tin powder are added in a way that emulates
the unrelenting sculptural power of wind on terrain. How the wind leaves its own indelible mark is an
idea that permeates through Nishikawa’s work. Through a mastery of materials, he creates expressive patterns on the surface reminiscent
of water stirred by the bluster of an invisible
yet indefatigable breeze.