Exhibitions
Special exhibition
COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha
Omizue: Iwamino-kamito-mizu
Date:
August 24 − September 19, 2016
Opening Hours 10:00 − 18:30 (Entrance into exhibition rooms is until 18:00)
Closed on Tuesdays
Place:
Iwami Art Museum Exhibition room C, Shimane Arts Center “Grandtoit”
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The connection between universe and man has mirrored one another since their primary origins.
Gently scooping out the impressions that spring forth from Iwami and the San’indo extending beside it, lying close to their original stature, reflecting them between the boulders of the ocean as if unraveling legends of ancient times.
Building a small Omizuedo (setting for the Omizue ceremony) within a cove of Iwami’s Kohama coast, ceremoniously making ‘water’ in the sea of the tutelary deity.
A water bottle and water bowl made from Iwami’s soil, a Tamano-hako (box) crafted using the wood and obsidian of the Oki Islands, various tools of the Omizue formed from the nature bestowed from the mountain, ocean, and river.
Kamikoromo are worn, made from washi paper crafted by the traditional skills of a papermaker from the Sekishu region.
Adhering to the land of Iwami that resonates with the echoes of voices from long past, that which exists within the universe is connected as a whole, with an eternal ‘now’ at its core.
COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha’s “Omizue” –a view of the universe that gazes upon the primitive and the ancient, the path followed by Kami as nature’s incarnation, and that of man.
* “Omizue” –A ceremony for drinking spring water
COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha
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This special exhibition is held in correspondence to a workshop that contemplates themes of the ‘use of local resources’ and ‘the relationship between regions and fashion’ through appropriating Sekishu-Washi, a type of Japanese handcrafted paper that has been traditionally inherited within the Western Shimane Prefecture. “Kogei Punks Sha” is an artistic unit comprising of contemporary artist and founder of COSMIC WONDER, Yukinori Maeda, and Kogei (loosely translates to “artisan crafts”) designer, Sumiko Ishii. On this occasion, Kogei Punks Sha will present works created and inspired by the natural features and materials of Iwami and Shimane, in addition to introducing aspects of their “Omizue” performance that engages with such elements, in the form of an installation. COSMIC WONDER’s new garments created with Sekishu-Washi will simultaneously be on exhibit.
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Photography: Yurie Nagashima
Title logo: Naoto Ishii
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COSMIC WONDER
Light Years
The collection is composed of exploration of various natural materials, combining handmade green washi-paper from native kozo tree, hand-woven fabrics like Karamushi, kudzu, natural farming organic cotton, organic linen and herbal dyed pure wool. The process of infusing handicrafts with traditional Japanese techniques is a way of finding beauty in the continuity.
The feature and past give us their gentle light.
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To mark the release of this new collection, the reception will be held at the Center for COSMIC WONDER.
Classical and original sweet Sumikoromono-okoshi will be served during the reception.
Yukinori Maeda, contemporary artist and founder of COSMIC WONDER, will be attending at the reception.
Ceramics by artist Shigeo Tanaka from Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, will also be released.
Date:
August 6, Saturday, from 12:00 to 17:00
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am − 7pm
We are temporary closed from Monday, August 1 to Friday, August 5.
Japanese Obon holiday: Monday, 15th August
Masaru Kawai
Chairs
When looking at the chairs made in the Jomon period, I feel they are created by a natural act of human similar to the acts such as eating and sleeping.
I hope this workshop will be an opportunity to look at something that has been lost in the industrialization of modern life.
Masaru Kawai
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Exhibition period:
July 23 – July 31, 2016
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
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Workshop “Hinoki and igusa chair”
Each participant makes a chair using hinoki wood and igusa grass.
Date:
Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, 11am – 6pm
Place:
Center for COSMIC WONDER
Fee:
19,000 yen per person / per group (＋1,000 yen per person as the insurance fee)
Number of seats:
4 groups per day (Reached the fixed number. )
*individuals or groups with a few members participates acceptable
Apply in e-mail. Send your name, telephone number to the following address.
press@cosmicwonder.com
COSMIC WONDER
Ryukyu indigo
COSMIC WONDER’s Ryukyu indigo is a true collaboration of nature and handcraft.
The deep oceanic blue is born only through the care of hands and the passage of time.
Each piece has its own expression.
Period:
Friday, June 24 – Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
Natural indigo is an ancient dye and one of the oldest dyeing methods in the world. Ryukyu indigo is a natural indigo dye from Okinawa island in Japan. It is made from the aqueous precipitate of the leaves of mercury, an acanthaceous herbaceous perennial harvested in summer and winter.The dye liquid is produced through fermentation process. This traditional process has a long history in the northern part of Okinawa. However, many of the farms that made Ryukyu indigo dye have disappeared. Seisho Inoha, a native of Okinawa, is now the sole authorized preserver of this technique in the country.
The deep oceanic blue is brought out by the application of twenty to thirty layers of due by a skilled dyer. We hope that you’ll enjoy the color that lives and grows with you.
Tomoya Arai
Kurimono
“I live a plain and simple life living a self-reliant lifestyle.
With contemplation and creation in nature,
I make arts by living in that environment.
Treasuring the moments with people I love,I find all existence with delight. That is what I seek for my life.”
Exhibition period:
Saturday, June 11 − Sunday, June 19, 2016
The artist will be attending on June 11 and 12.
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
Tomoya Arai
Born in Osaka in 1983. He left for Tokyo pursuing an artist career at the age of 19 and started working with wood.
Today he is based in Shimanto, Kochi, where he energetically produces works.
Takayuki Watanabe
Yakimono
Trees grow on earth.
Water flows in a river.
I bring the elements into a shape.
Trees become fire to burn earth.
Earth melt into white light.
After firing, yakimono remains.
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Takayuki Watanabe lives in a village by the sea in Minami-izu.
The place is surrounded by a woods and the secluded space resonates the sounds of earth.
Exhibition period:
Saturday, May 21 – Sunday, May 29, 2016
The artist will be attending on May 21 and 22.
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
COSMIC WONDER
Hakkaku-shinka
Kantoi
COSMIC WONDER “Hakkaku-shinka Kantoi” collection event will go on a tour to the following region.
[ Schedule ]
STARDUST, Kyoto 3/25 – 28
ISETAN SHINJUKU MEN’S 2F, Shinjuku 4/6 − 12
EIGHTY-EIGHT, Ayakawa 4/15 − 24
KAGURE, Marunouchi 4/29 − 5/8
ANTENNE DEUX, Takasaki 5/3 − 4
POST IN TIME, Maebashi 5/5 − 6
PENNY RAIN, Kiryu 5/7 − 8
OROBORO STORE, New York 5/13 − 29
OUTBOUND, Kichijoji 5/13 − 16
OU, Nagoya 5/19 − 23
DOORS, Minamisemba 5/20 − 29
DOORS, Toyosu 5/20 − 29
MM BOOKS MINO, Mino 5/28 − 6/5
Japanese handcrafted baskets
Japanese handicrafts made with natural raw materials are an embodiment of appreciation, awe and respect for nature.
They reflect the traditional Japanese satoyama lifestyle that people and nature coexist sustainably. (In a satoyama, people typically forms a community (=sato) with farmlands, on the border of a forest (=yama). A forest is a resource for their living, being managed sustainably by sato residents.)
In such satoyama living, the art of livingware handcrafting has been passed along from generation to generation, producing practical and useful objects. They provide insights into a lifestyle in harmony with nature.
For this exhibition, we sourced handcrafted baskets by visiting local craftspeople in various places from Tohoku region to Kyushu Island. Each of their work is unique and representative of the regions where they are crafted. Their rustic beauty attracts us.
To commemorate the opening of the exhibition, Mr Shinichi Nakagawahara (the winner of the New Works Competition organised by The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in 2015) will give a demonstration of traditional Akebi vine basketwork on 19th and 20th March.
Exhibition period:
Saturday, March 19 − Sunday, April 3, 2016
Place:
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
Nihonno Ishi
Natural stone accessories, raw stones from various regions of Japan, such as crystal from Iwate Prefecture, Yanamashi Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, garnet from Nara Prefecuture, and topaz from Shiga Prefecture. With enjoyment of greater awareness of the rhythms of life, we hope to bring the experience of everyday life closer to the interaction among natural world.
Exhibition period: Saturday, October 10 − Sunday, November 1, 2015
*Closed every Wednesday
Place: Center for COSMIC WONDER
Hours: 11am − 19pm
Admission free
*This event is programmed as part of a satellite program of the exhibition “Otto Künzli” which is held at Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum from October 10, 2015.
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open 11am – 7pm | Closed on Wednesdays
COSMIC WONDER
Kamino-hikarino-awa
Kamikoromo
Cosmic Wonder’s kamikoromo get their white color from the kozo plant. The ume flower color comes from an Akane herbal dye. The sumi color comes from a wildflower herbal dye.
Paper has long been celebrated in Japanese life for the important role it plays in many rituals, ceremonies, and countless everyday activities. In ancient times, Buddhist priests pasted together paper scraps to make kimonos. This tradition lives on in the form of kamikoromo and in the ceremony called ‘omizutori’, which is performed at the Todaiji Buddhist temple in Nara. Ippen Shonin (St.Ippen) traveled throughout Japan wearing kamikoromo.
From the Muromachi period onward, kamikoromo spread out through the samurai culture. The one worn by Kenshin Uesugi (one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period) is thought to be the oldest surviving kamikoromo. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a preeminent daimyo) owned a kamikoromo haori (the reverse side was dyed with kobai). By the middle of the Edo period, the use of these paper robes had expanded to the general population. This is the time of Basho, the greatest haiku poet and a wearer of kamikoromo.
Their lightness and heat-retaining quality made them popular among travelers and traveling haiku poets. Kamikoromo embody the sense of wabi-sabi, emphasizing the rustic beauty of nature. In the present day, techniques for the production of traditional paper clothing are still practiced in Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture.
Today, kozo, mitsumata and gampi are the principal raw materials for washi. Kozo is prized for its long, tough fibers. Kozo is cut at the root and steamed in a barrel over a fire in order to separate the bark. The bundles of fibers are placed in a cold stream for one to three days. The branches are boiled and stripped of their outer bark and then dried. The fibers are then boiled, placed in running water, and naturally bleached. The rinsed fibers are placed in a strainer floating in water for further cleaning and then laid on a board and beaten. Once they have dried overnight and have been softened by stamping or hand-rubbing, they are ready to be made into washi.
COSMIC WONDER Kamino-hikarino-awa collection event will go on a tour to the following region in Japan.
[ Schedule ]
KAGURE, Osaka 9/5 – 15
URBAN RESEARCH DOORS, Minamisemba 9/19 – 29
CIY, Morioka 10/3 – 12
STARDUST, Kyoto 10/10 – 18
OUTBOUND, Kichijoji 10/21 – 11/2
KAGURE, Marunouchi 10/24 – 11/1
MM BOOKS MINO, Mino 11/7 – 15
ISETAN SHINJUKU MEN’S 2F, Shinjuku 11/11 – 24
OU, Nagoya 11/17 – 23
PENNY RAIN, Kiryu 10/20 – 21
POST IN TIME, Maebashi 10/22 – 23
COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha
Exhibit “Kamino-hikarino-awa Water Ceremony”
Photography by Yurie Nagashima
Under an April sky, the water ceremony Kamino-hikarino-awa was performed by Cosmic Wonder with Kogei Punks Sha.
Visitors were invited to drink the spring water welling up from the foot of the mountain.
Deep inside a forest of Japanese cedar, the story of a natural journey was told in words and quiet gestures.
Our thoughts were calmed by the rustling sounds of paper.
Mountaintops shimmered in bowls of water and wild sakura petals drifted down through the air.
COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha
Exhibit “Kamino-hikarino-awa Water Ceremony”
Exhibition period: August 2 – September 6, 2015
*Closed every Wednesday (Temporary Closing August 13 (Thu.) and 14 (Fri.))
Place: Center for COSMIC WONDER
Hours: 11am – 19pm (Film will be screened from 4pm to 7pm everyday.)
Admission free
COSMIC WONDER
Kogei Punks Sha
Takaharu Maeda
Naoto Ishii
Masaru Kawai
Yurie Nagashima
Nobuhiro Shimura
Exhibition organized by Center for COSMIC WONDER
Under the auspices of gallery Hakuden
An art book “Kamino-hikarino-awa Water Ceremony ” is being published on the occasion of the exhibition. This book includes Yurie Nagashima’s photographs, Nobuhiro Shimura’s film stills and a letterpress drawing by Kogei Punks Sha. A limited edition of 250 copies by Center for COSMIC WONDER | gallery Hakuden.
Kamino-hikarino-awa
Water Ceremony
Date: 26th April, 2015
Performance Time: 11:00 / 14:00 / 16:00
Place: Gallery Hakuden
Number of seats: 24 (8 seats for each performance)
Admission fee: Free
Prior booking essential. Apply in e-mail. (application deadline 15th April, 2015)
dokkatouyu@ybb.ne.jp
Gallery Hakuden
When applying, please note preferred time (chose from 11:00 / 14:00 / 16:00) with your name and contact address, telephone number.
In case of too many applications, we will hold a draw for place allocation.
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Art director:
COSMIC WONDER
Yukinori Maeda
Sumiko Ishii
Sekishu: Kogei Punks Sha
Hanto: Makito Shindo, Miyako Yasuda
Kamisuki-shi (Washi artisan): Takaharu Maeda
Kamikoromo (Paper kimono): COSMIC WONDER
Earthenware: Naoto Ishii
Woodwork: Masaru Kawai
Photography: Yurie Nagashima
Cine-film recording: Nobuhiro Shimura
Production: Gallery Hakuden, COSMIC WONDER