Art
#Kanako Abe #paper #plants
April 13, 2023
Grace Ebert
All images © Kanako Abe
After several years of working primarily with white paper, Kanako Abe moved to color. The Seattle-based artist is known for her exquisite Kirie works – a traditional Japanese art form that translates to a cut image – and it has recently begun to incorporate rich blue and gold leaves tinged with rust, indigo and various materials from the forests. “When I dye the paper, I don’t know how the shade, color or texture would turn out, but I just go with the flow, trust the process and embrace the imperfection,” she shares.
This sentiment contrasts with the impeccable precision of his compositions, which often feature silhouettes, hands, animals or household objects encircled by delicate botanical filigrees. The idea of pairing organic dyes with meticulous cuts was born at the start of the pandemic, when “in such a state of the world, the attitude of trying to control something seemed very stressful to me, so I started to feel out of alignment with my method of creating art,” says Abe. “This new method, which I am still experimenting with and exploring, allows me to meditate on a thought that the world around us is changing.” The resulting works are as complex as his earlier pieces, though they place greater emphasis on the limits and possibilities of human touch.
Head to Instagram for more paper cuts from Abe and to peek into his process.
#Kanako Abe #paper #plants
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