The artist who builds with nature

Tokujin Yoshioka is critically acclaimed in international art circles for his unrestrained, experimental creativity, which he fully exercises in works that are often made of glass and modelled after objects found in nature.
His exhibition “Crystallise” is continuing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo until January 19. Yoshioka’s first large-scale show at a public museum focuses on his fascinating reach beyond the boundaries of design and art.
One of the works, “Tornado”, consists of masses of pure white straw sweeping through space. Other pieces scattered across the venue include a crystallisation work submerged in water and “painted” by musical sound waves, as well as crystallised works based on roses and chairs.
Such works illustrate how Yoshioka strove to find unusual beauty by incorporating nature and the passage of time.
While the exhibition was being prepared, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region. Witnessing the hardship of the people affected by the disaster, Yoshioka racked his brain over what he should do. This led him to discover a philosophy of new creation, meaning that, if he created with nature, he could express something beyond himself.
Early in his career he was assigned to “space design” at Issey Miyake’s office. In 2000 he set up his own atelier. Since then he has designed chairs made of paper (also shown in the exhibition), the interior of brand shops and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s logo.
“Rainbow Church” is a highlight of the exhibition. He created it based on his memory of Henri Matisse’s “Chapel of the Rosary” in southern France, which he saw in his 20s. “Rainbow Church”, presented in a spacious, high-ceilinged room, was made by stacking 500 crystal prisms 12 metres high, which create rainbow-coloured images from the refracted sunlight.
Nearby is a beautiful glass bench that emanates its own beautiful array of patterns, adding to the magnificent work. The same type of bench can be seen at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
“I want ‘Rainbow Church’ to be permanently displayed as an independent structure in the future,” Yoshioka says. “With this show I wanted to think about what to make in the future, works that are beyond my imagination and that can surprise even me.”

CRYSTAL SHIP
“Tokujin Yoshioka: Crystallise” runs through January 19 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Find out more at www.MoT-Art-Museum.jp.