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"Illuminated"
Exhibition Dates: August 1st - 24th, 2008
Vetri International Glass is pleased to present Illuminated, a solo exhibition featuring new work by Washington glass artist Takuya Tokizawa. Influenced by recent visits back to his home country of Japan, Tokizawa has created a series of bright, playful pieces that not only represent childhood memories, but pay homage to the traditional art of his homeland.
Illuminated showcases several variations on Tokizawa's Fizzie series, which he began exploring in 2005. Summer plays an important role in the creation of these pieces, as their title alludes to Ramune soda - a carbonated Japanese-brand soda that the artist associates with the advent of a fun childhood summer. Each intense color of Tokizawa's Fizzies represents a particular sense-memory, making the exhibition a collection of reminisces illuminating Tokizawa's past.
Rotund, skinny, bulbous or fluidly graceful, the Kajitsu Fizzies -literally translating to "fruit" -are evocative of ripening tree-fruit, and their vivid, transparent colors lend them a vitality and freshness. The Yudachi: An Impression of Scent Fizzies were inspired by the artists' memories of sudden summer showers, and bear silver-foil tear drop shapes reminiscent of rain on a window.
A recent trip back to Japan allowed Tokizawa to explore the more traditional crafts of his homeland and reconnect with the crucial qualities inherent in the Japanese art aesthetic: a philosophy of craftsmanship, simplicity and form. In Japanese craft, "a humble, everyday object is transformed into a piece worth admiring," says Tokizawa. "I realized that the organic and subtle nature of objects is beautiful. I have become more aware of the flaws that make the world complete and their beauty." These perfect imperfections are extant in the seemingly random bumps or niches in the Fizzies.
Tokizawa's technique in making the Fizzie forms is a mix of blown glass and gilding. Pre-cutting silver leaf circles and applying them to the hot glass fuses the two materials immediately. This technique was initially inspired by the Japanese art of creating lacquer ware, bringing Tokizawa's modern forms in step with his more traditional influences. "I believe my pieces represent the traditional Japanese arts and crafts," says the artist, "but like any tree, as they grow new growth always appears, so that my work has a more modern quality. Creating these pieces has helped me to understand who I am, where I am from and my perspective, as well as where I am headed."
Takuya Tokizawa was born in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and currently works in Washington. He has worked with numerous local glass artists, such as Dante Marioni, Janusz Pozniak, and David Levi, as well as in Japanese glass studios. In 2006 he was a visiting artist in the Tacoma Museum of Glass, and has been a teaching assistant in numerous facilities, including the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA, the Tokyo Glass Institute, and at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC. His work has been shown locally, across the United States, and internationally.
ILLUMINATED will be on display through August 24, 2008.
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