Paper, once made only by hand and considered precious, is such a staple that “we take it for granted,” says Kyoko Ibe, a Japanese artist who uses it to create sculptures and functional objects. But Ibe loves the medium, and uses washi–a paper still made by hand in Japan from a thin membrane found in the mulberry tree–the way other artists use fiber, clay or paint. Her innovative concepts have changed the way this traditional art is viewed in her homeland.
Translucent lengths of washi swathe her lamps and compose the constructions she calls “lighting objects.” While the lamps are similar to those of Isamu Noguchi, Ibe’s constructions are unique. She cuts, folds, twists, weaves or glues bits and pieces of washi together to create sculptures. Once installed, the softly moving contours of the washi form spatial compositions that reflect and deflect light.
To describe her work Ibe says, “It is all designed to interact with light and air,” which is why she refers to her pieces as “lighting objects.” To describe herself, she coined the term “suitcase artist,” because all the works she produces can be folded or flattened to fit into compact containers. This makes them easy to transport, she says. Yet once installed, some are more than 100 feet tall; their vitality belies their fragile substance.
Ibe also makes stage sets for dance and theatrical productions, as well as screens using washi paintings. The latter often incorporate paper from everyday life–newsprint, computer paper or notebook sheets. Last winter, Ibe created the sets for an Illinois Dance Theater production at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her lighting objects and screens were shown in an exhibition at I-Space, the university’s Chicago gallery.
At 57, Ibe heads her own business, Shion Paper Co. in Kyoto, where she employs other artists to assemble her washi works. Her work is included in numerous museum and corporate collections in Japan, and she has received many awards (most recently, the Japan Foundation Fellowship and the Merit Prize of the Kyoto Prefectural Culture Award). Yet she finds her success as an artist and businesswoman ironic.
“I taught college-level design theory and art history after receiving my master’s, even though I wanted to produce my own artwork. But I couldn’t find a material that moved me,” says Ibe, who received her design degrees at Kyoto Institute of Technology.
Always drawn to washi, Ibe made a few objects from it, such as toys, lampshades and baskets, for her own use in the early ’70s. At the time, it was a novel concept. Once she showed her students her creations, the rest was history. She had the first solo shows of her washi works–one for the fine art and another for the functional objects–in two Kyoto galleries in 1974.
In fact, Ibe is credited with “revolutionizing the way washi is viewed today in Japanese society,” says Kimiko Gunji, professor of Japanese art at the U. of I., the professor responsible for bringing her here. “Her work is astonishing,” says Gunji, who explains that “washi is very traditional in Japan, but Ibe uses it in an extraordinarily contemporary way.”
After reading about Ibe several years ago in a magazine sent to her by a former student living in Japan, Gunji tracked her down; last winter, she brought the artist to the U. of I.
The Midwest will be the first place in the U.S. where Ibe’s lighting objects and washi screens will be sold to the public. Heltzer Inc., a new showroom opening at the Merchandise Mart in conjunction with the NeoCon office furnishings trade show (opening Saturday), will represent Ibe’s work. (Heltzer became involved after a designer with the firm saw Ibe’s work at the U. of I.) Prices for her lamps and window treatments range from $300 to $2,000, and her sculptures from $2,000 to $4,000.
