Kyoko Ibe
KYOTO, JAPAN
About the Artist
After completing a master’s degree at the Kyoto Institute of technology in 1967, Ibe Continued Working with paper and has been invited to more than 20 countries for exhibitions, workshops lectures, teaching, judge, panelist and stage art installation. Her work pushes the limits of paper, transforming a craft into an art form. Her radical new approach to paper combines a respect for tradition with technological experimentation. She exhibit in many museums, including Los Angeles County museum in 2011, Stockton University Gallery in 2017 and her works are the collection of Chicago Art Institute and many others. She is the author and editor of “Guide book of Contemporary Paperwork,” and co-author of “Encyclopedia Paper culture and Science,” Paper, Makers Tears, volume one. She has received many national and international awards and was chosen as a special Advisor for Cultural Exchange for 2009 by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, government of Japan. She received the Kyoto Cultural Merit Award in 2019. She is a professor Emeritus of the Kyoto Institute of Technology. Kyoko Ibe has earned a reputation as one of Japan's leading artists with her large-scale installations of washi, or traditional Japanese paper. Combining conventional materials with modern techniques, Ibe's work has brought washi from the sphere of arts and crafts to that of contemporary art.
Artist Statement
“The development of papermaking in Japan owes a lot to the country’s geological conditions, climate, and the religious belief. Among daily necessities, paper has played an important role, providing even clothing and material for dwelling. Furthermore, paper has been used in rituals, ceremonies and festivals throughout Japanese history. The ancient Japanese believed that divine spirits were present in paper. They named paper “kami,” which is the same pronunciation as the word for gods and deities in Japan.
The oldest recycled paper is the backing of a painting in our national treasure house that was built in the 9th Century. It is natural to think that people recycled paper soon after they started making it and recycling was a part of paper production and consumption. A very special case was recorded in the 12th century, after the emperor died, his wife Fujiwara Tamiko recycled all the poems and letters she received from him and wrote a sutra on the recycled paper to wish peace in his soul. She then sent this sutra to his family and friends. While this is a special case, Japanese culture generally treats recycled paper as being more precious than new. The Japanese believe there is authentic beauty from something old. Ideas of transforming existing material to create new life as a means to continue the cultural tradition are highly valued.
Recycled gray tone paper was often used in the tearoom as the wall covering and for the sliding doors. I would like to mention the difference of the meaning of recycling at that time and now. We speak about recycling from eco or functional point of view. They found more positive deeper meaning and appreciated the beauty, which we could only get by aging. I think we have to learn from their philosophy to find the way to survive and to make our life in this limited, precious, fragile world.
About ten years ago, I purchased a book from the early 19th Century by chance and added it to my collection. The book was from a small northern village, no longer on modern maps. Inside there were records about the people in the village, with their name and occupation, rank of their farm, tax records, receipts, their contribution to the local temple and much more. All the text was hand written by sumi ink and calligraphy no longer in use; so there is no way to identify exact meaning of each piece of writing.
The paper itself and the writing evoke the spirit of the people from two hundred years ago and I can sense them slowly breathing in front of my eyes. I see a reflection of human life and spirit from nature in the kozo paper, which is very thin, translucent and delicate, yet it is durable and keeps its life for more than a thousand years. The antique book from two hundred years ago is proof of the invisible spirit from a past life that quietly breathes inside of the handmade paper and it opened my eyes to an almost forgotten beauty.
I disassembled and tore up the pages from the book into small pieces, made two groups, selected out the unwritten parts and put in them into the beater to get white kozo pulp. I did the same to the other written group and got gray recycled kozo. The mixture of fiber and water of this two hundred year old kozo pulp was completely different from a new liquid kozo fiber. The old one was so smooth and delicate compared to the rough new young kozo fiber. I poured the pulp on the screen mixed it with mica and with the planned calligraphic images and then poured on top the new kozo pulp. When I turned around and took off the screen, I was astonished that the difference of the age was so visible. But the harmony of old and new makes perfect new beauty. The process reminded me of the human life cycle- reincarnation as a part of the teaching of Buddha.” - Kyoko Ibe
