WALLTZ is a wallpaper brand that has teamed up with great Japanese
artists and designers to introduce new MADE IN JAPAN wallpaper to the
world.
WALLTZ's CREATOR” introduces the activities of WALLTZ
creators.
In this first issue, we introduce the activities of
Marie Ikura.
At the beginning of this summer, we were informed that
Ms. Ikura's work had been selected as the main visual for “Kobe Rokko
Meets Art 2024 beyond.
So we visited the “ROKKO Morino Sound Museum,”
the site of her residency, to talk with her.
CREATOR's PROFILE | Marie Ikura
Ikura Marie
1986 Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, currently lives in Tokyo
Graduated
from Tama Art University, Department of Painting, Oil Painting Course,
2010
Main Exhibitions
2023 “YAMANOTE LINE MUSEUM”, Ueno Station, Tokyo
2023 “Nakanojo
Biennale International Contemporary Art Festival”, Gunma, Japan
2024
“Numachi Lake Town”, solo exhibition, Kokumin Kyosai Coop Hall, Space
Zero, Tokyo
2024 “Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond” main visual
(Hyogo)
Concept
Using the entire space, I layered brush strokes as if I were trying to
capture time.
The starting point of his creation was playing in the
sand as a child, when he was absorbed in the “now. This led to a style
that places emphasis on the process of creation itself.
My parents' home was a kindergarten.
The first piece I remember was a dumpling mountain I made in the
sandbox.
I strongly admire the way she was having fun, making them
selflessly, and living out her life as if resisting the passing of time
and the disappearance of things.
I may still be in that sandbox, and
I may be selflessly painting a picture now.
What is Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond?
Kobe Rokko Meets Art is an annual contemporary art festival held on
Mt.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the festival, which
started in 2010, and a total of more than 520 artists have participated so
far.
The Rokko Art Festival is a place where visitors can leave their
everyday lives behind and encounter a variety of art, just as if they were
on a journey to the charms of Mount Rokko, the symbolic mountain of
Kobe.
Dates
August 24 (Sat) - November 24 (Sun), 2024
For
more information, please visit the Kobe Rokko Meets Art website.
The artist-in-residence is at “Marie Ikura's Atelier” surrounded by trees in a secluded part of the garden.
Set in the ROKKO Forest Sound Museum
The ROKKO Morino Sound Museum was the setting for this production.
Originally
opened as a museum for collecting automatic musical instruments such as
music boxes, it reopened in July 2021 as the current “ROKKO Morino Sound
Museum. It is a very nice venue with a natural garden where visitors can
enjoy the seasonal natural expressions of Mt. Rokko and “sound” related
exhibits.
From the site of the residency
One day in August in the lingering summer heat.
We arrived at the
“ROKKO Morino Sound Museum” after taking a train, a cable car, and a bus.
When
we stepped into the garden of the museum, which is surrounded by wonderful
plantings, the members of the interview team exclaimed, “It's so cool! one
of the members of the interview team exclaimed, “It's so cool!
The
ground was still a little wet from yesterday's guerrilla downpour.
The artist-in-residence is at “Marie Ikura's Atelier” surrounded by trees in a secluded part of the garden.
He said, “It's okay if I work on it while I'm here. We were very grateful for his kind words, and we immediately asked him about his work.
Please tell us about your motivation for participating in Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond.
“I was invited by Kobe Rokko Meets Art after they saw my work at the Nakanojo Biennale International Art Festival in Gunma, which I participated in last year.”
Did you have a specific concept in mind for your residency?
“I have given you a title and an image, but I do not have a specific thing to draw or a concept in mind. My parents were in kindergarten, and I kept playing in the sandbox like crazy. Just like back then, I draw with the feeling of playing without deciding what it is.”
What kind of image will the work have?
“The main visual for this year's exhibition looks like a work of art in the forest, fluttering in the wind, beckoning you to come and see it. Rather than wanting the viewer to see the finished painting, I hope to create something that can only be seen at that moment when time and wind create together.”
The artist-in-residence is at “Marie Ikura's Atelier” surrounded by trees in a secluded part of the garden.
Please tell us about your motivation for participating in Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond.
“I was invited by Kobe Rokko Meets Art after they saw my work at the Nakanojo Biennale International Art Festival in Gunma, which I participated in last year.”
Did you have a specific concept in mind for your residency?
“I have given you a title and an image, but I do not have a specific thing to draw or a concept in mind. My parents were in kindergarten, and I kept playing in the sandbox like crazy. Just like back then, I draw with the feeling of playing without deciding what it is.”
What kind of image will the work have?
“The main visual for this year's exhibition looks like a work of art in the forest, fluttering in the wind, beckoning you to come and see it. Rather than wanting the viewer to see the finished painting, I hope to create something that can only be seen at that moment when time and wind create together.”
Please tell us about your motivation for participating in Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond.
“I was invited by Kobe Rokko Meets Art after they saw my work at the Nakanojo Biennale International Art Festival in Gunma, which I participated in last year.”
Did you have a specific concept in mind for your residency?
“I have given you a title and an image, but I do not have a specific thing to draw or a concept in mind. My parents were in kindergarten, and I kept playing in the sandbox like crazy. Just like back then, I draw with the feeling of playing without deciding what it is.”
What kind of image will the work have?
“The main visual for this year's exhibition looks like a work of art in the forest, fluttering in the wind, beckoning you to come and see it. Rather than wanting the viewer to see the finished painting, I hope to create something that can only be seen at that moment when time and wind create together.”
