Concave and Convex: A Sumikawa Kiichi Retrospective

Highlights

1. First Major Retrospective at a Public Museum in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Devoted to This Pioneer in Postwar Japanese Abstract Sculpture
   A pioneer in postwar abstract sculpture, Sumikawa Kiichi has produced a varied body of work, including large-scale public projects. For well over 60 years, his urge to create has continued unabated.
   This exhibition, the first large retrospective to be held at a public museum in the Tokyo metropolitan area, will shed light on the origins, developments, and achievements of Sumikawa’s practice. After studying the basics of sculpture with Hirakushi Denchu, a master of wood sculpture, and Kikuchi Kazuo, a leading figure in clay sculpture, Sumikawa concentrated on figurative expression. In time, he shifted his attention to "Yielding Forms,” a series of abstract sculptures that resonates deeply with Japanese traditional beauty, which the artist pursued through the use of intellectual concepts.
   
   
2. Concave and Convex Forms Rooted in Beauty
   Sumikawa has frequently spoken of his youthful attraction to the famous Kintaikyo Bridge, located in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where he spent his adolescence, as the inspiration for his artistic career. The complex structural beauty and the simple concave and convex forms of the wooden bridge, which managed to escape the ravages of war, dwell within Sumikawa’s heart as a source of sympathetic beauty. Based on his explorations of figurative expression as a university student, Sumikawa set his sights on the natural material of wood. In the process, he discovered the essential forms and beauty of concavity and convexity in wood. The "Yielding Forms” series, Sumikawa’s ongoing lifework, perfectly expresses the refined and simple beauty of his practice. The term "concave” refers to the lines and surfaces that curve gently downward, while "convex” refers to the lines and surfaces that curve gently upward. Sumikawa’s work is firmly rooted in a variety of concave and convex forms that are found in Japanese landscapes and traditional artistic forms. Among the examples he cites are "the gentle arch of an ear of rice with its head bowed, the graceful curves of five-storied pagodas and other historic structures, the extremely tense warp of a sword, and the noble bend that stretches from the sky to the foot of the sacred peak of Mt. Fuji.”
   
   
3. Massive Works for Public Spaces
   In the 1980s, Sumikawa began making outdoor sculptures for sites throughout Japan. Sumikawa’s exploration of this medium, which is inseparable from the surrounding environment and landscape, gradually led to an interest in creating works for public spaces, including collaborations with architects and others. He also endeavored to create large urban structures. At present, Sumikawa’s outdoor sculptures and environmental works number over 120. They can be found in 28 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, stretching from Hokkaido in the north to Kagoshima in the south. In some cases, these massive structures, characterizing Sumikawa’s recent artistic output, confront nature, while in others, they take advantage of the spatial possibilities and nestle into the surrounding environment.