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Tazuko Ichikawa
Image Not Available for Tazuko Ichikawa

Tazuko Ichikawa

BiographyMy work is the result of the meeting of two energies, one cultivated in my native Japanese culture, specifically Zen Buddhism, which manifests in my work as an underlying spirit and the other, through education in catholic school in Japan and exposure to the Western environment after I moved to the United States. My attachment to wood came from the temple's big wood pillars with weathered grain and the old long ancient corridors surrounding ritual halls. In my sculpture I often allow wood grain to show through the paint, not only because of its beauty, but because the wood grain helps me to bring out the inner light as an expression of timeless life.

In a world characterized by dual phenomena, disharmony or discord results if opposites are not in balance. It is of utmost importance for me to keep these opposites in balance to create harmony with the universe. Although my sculpture is not a symbol, I think it is symbolic of the content of the unconscious where forms which can communicate universally beyond various cultures are found. My intuition which leads me toward unconscious also helps me perceive everything in nature as energy with an inherent inner rhythm.

Nothing in nature presents itself static – seemingly static things are actually moving within, and moving from imperfection toward perfection. But nothing is imperfection or perfection, rather a moving state toward perfection. It is my wish to see my sculpture take on a life with its own inner rhythm synchronizing and harmonizing with the rhythm of the universe. That should bring the ultimate happiness. If the viewer feels something beyond the form itself, my task is completed. In addition to creating sculptures, I also make works on paper.
Person TypeArtist