Black And White,

seems to be a theme today,

 as here is a third post in black and white, Kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’) is the Japanese art of paper-cutting, variations of kirie can be found in cultures around the world but the Japanese version is said to be derived from religious ceremonies and can be traced back to around the AD 700s. In its most conventional form, negative space is cut from a single sheet of white paper and then contrasted against a black background to reveal a rendering,

 veteran kirie artist Masayo Fukuda has been practicing the art from for 25 years and recently revealed what she says is her greatest masterpiece of 2018, we have in fact featured her work before back in July this year,

 and here is the amazing thing, although the intricate piece looks like several layers overlapped, Fukuda stayed true to the conventional form, using only a single sheet of paper to render her detailed depiction of an octopus,

a closer look confirms indeed that each and every detail is carefully made from cut-out negative space in the white paper, if you’re interested in Fukuda’s work, she’ll be showcasing her kirie in a joint exhibition planned for next year, She will be showing her work along with fellow kirie artist Jun at Miraie Gallery in Osaka from April 24 – April 30, 2019, how totally amazing, I can not cut a piece of paper in a straight line, so I know I would be hopeless at this art form! all photos courtesy Masayo Fukuda.

At First Glance,

it is a pleasing silhouette,

spider webs, grass, bare branches and insects surround a young woman in a black dress,

but look closely and you will discover the Japanese art form known as kirie, which we have featured before,

what makes the silhouette so different is that like all kirie it is made out of just one sheet of paper!

it is the work of artist Ayaka Chigira, a student at Musashino Arts University who created the piece as part of her graduating senior thesis exhibition, “Sukima ni tomeru” (meaning, to fasten the gap) is an elaborate portrait created by Ayaka Chigira and intricately cut from a single sheet of black paper. Even the strands of hair are individually cut and then braided together, creating a three-dimensional element within a largely two-dimensional canvas, Chigira, a graduating senior from Tokyo’s prestigious Musashino Art University, is presenting the piece as part of her graduating thesis exhibition. You can keep up with the artist on Twitter, if in these still lockdown times you are looking for a new hobby, have a look here at the beginners guide to kirie.

It Is Difficult Enough Making Paper Cut-outs,

so confining yourself to just the size of a leaf and using that as your canvas, must be so difficult, 

all photographs Lito, above a ukiyo-e inspired piece titled “Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” these are the work of a 37-year old Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito who has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when he discovered the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’) after trying paper cutting he focused on leaves,

“A small world where everyone helps each other”

“I came to meet this scenery again this fall”

“The star where you were born〜Scorpio〜”

“A little autumn concert is going to start soon” he is interviewed here, about his art, following the standard kirie practice, each piece is always cut from a single leaf, but Lito always leaves traces of the leaf’s midrib, If you would like to see the artist’s work up-close, he’s having an exhibition at Daimaru department store in Kobe from 11/30 – 12/11/2023 where you can even purchase select works, He also has a variety of negajo (new years cards) that you can order online and send, also you can keep up with Lito’s work on Instagram and Twitter, I have to say it, they all look so perfect.

Using Leaves As Your Medium,

must rate as one of the more difficult mediums to use,

but that did not deter a 34-year old artist who goes by the name Lito, above “Aquarium of Leaves”

“My Father’s Dragon” Lito Lionni has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and obsessiveness when he discovered 

the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’). Earlier this year in January he began experimenting, not with paper, but with leaves, 

“Swimmy by Leo Lionni” according to a recent interview, leaves turned out to be an ideal medium for Lito as their decomposing nature forced him to work quickly. Over time he got faster and his daily creations, which he began posting to social media, became more intricate,

“Autumn Harvest Festival” following the standard kirie practice, each piece is always cut from a single leaf. But Lito always leaves traces of the leaf’s midrib, Lito also always manages to imbue his creations with a playful narrative, one that is either inspired by film or books, or plucked from the artist’s own imagination,

“Night sky, moon and bicycle” (a tribute to E.T.),

“Forest Librarian”

“Ghost Parade” You can keep up with Lito’s work on Instagram and Twitter, what amazing pieces of art work.

Another Post About Paper Cutting,

this one from Japan,

 where it is known as kirie or in Chinese as jianzhi (剪紙) and was first developed shortly after paper was first brought to the country in 610 AD. with arrival of the material, the incredible art of paper cutting has only grown more complex as the centuries go on, our previous post about paper cutting is here,

 continuing this great tradition is artist Nami Sakashita, with a sharp blade and a steady hand, she reveals long-form prose from a single piece of origami paper,

 one of her most recent creations is a passage from Lewis Carroll’s classic story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,

this is the work in progress, if you’re near Tokyo in July, you can see Sakashita’s work in person at the Art Imagine Gallery from July 21 to July 25, 2017, absolutely stunning.

Japan Was For Nearly 300 Years,

in almost complete isolation from the outside world, 

known as the Meiji period, defined as the period between 1868 and 1912, Japan burst on the world stage, craftsman and artisans had a new and huge market to supply,

 

leading on from that modern day artisans have produced work from kibori wood sculpting to kirie paper cutting, a new exhibition opening in Tokyo highlighting today’s contemporary artisans, who have produced new and exciting examples of their work, above this image is not a real-life butterfly, nor are the puddles made from real water, the scene has been sculpted entirely from wood by Japanese artist Toru Fukuda,

artist Mika Aoki creates glass sculptures,

that look like droplets of water frozen in time,

wood sculptor Ryoho Otake creates wooden replicas that mimic not only the minute details of plants but the their life cycles as well, in the sculpture above titled “Moonlight” (2020), 

apparently deer antlers are used to carve 47 white petals and when water is poured into the sculpture, it slowly blossoms, to view more of these 17 artisans works comprising of 64 exhibits they are on display as part of the exhibition “In the Genes, Taking Marvelous Meiji Craftsmanship into the Future,” which is running from September 12 – November 26, 2023 at the Mitsui Memorial Museum in Tokyo, what exquisite works of art they are to be sure.