Capturing Time With Ikebana & Art

Ayumi Suzuki. Photography by Yulia Skogoreva for IKEBANA projects

'The Ikeru Project' shooting location, Cave Gallery, is a contemporary art gallery and a project space established in 2015 in Kagurazaka area of Tokyo by curator Ayumi Suzuki. In addition to introducing younger artists from Japan and overseas, Cave hosts experimental projects of established artists as well as artist-in-residence program at their historical family space Yokomichi projects. Here Suzuki shared her vision of Ikebana in relationship to contemporary art.

Thinking of all the spaces you are running including Cave gallery, Ayumi gallery and Yokomichi projects, there is a very interesting mix between contemporary art and traditional crafts. In your opinion what is the current relationship between the two and what do you wish for it to become in future?

Today there are so many art forms and contemporary art is truly diverse. Often it includes elements of traditional crafts too. In addition to traditional crafts, contemporary reiterations are also noticeable. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the world of contemporary crafts and many young artists are emerging. This is a global movement not only Japan centered.

There are two elements reflected in the program of my art spaces – traditional and modern crafts and contemporary art - but I'm not trying to force them to merge. However, I notice that even traditional crafts are starting to think through a contemporary perspective.

Another example of collaborations between the two – artists borrowing techniques and approaches from crafts. For example, a young Japanese painter I follow has dramatically improved her work by incorporating ceramic techniques. But of course it can only work when an artist takes on something that suits their own aesthetics.

I’m sure we will see the relationship between crafts and contemporary art becoming stronger with time. It just opens so many more possibilities. 

Growing up in a very creative environment of architects and artists have you ever come across Ikebana? What did you think of it?

Although I grew up in a cultural environment, my parents were always busy and spent most of their time in the studio. There wasn’t any time to make ikebana part of our lives. However, seasonality, one of the key principles of Ikebana, is something ingrained in the Japanese culture. It is also the concept that I grew up with. Japan has distinctive four seasons and it is easy to follow them through blooming plants and trees. 

I first encountered Ikebana when I was a university student. The owner of the cultural school where I started working part-time was an Ikebana artist at the Sogetsu Ikebana School. She was using bamboo to make huge sculptural objects, and I was helping her to paint the bamboo. It was a revelation to me, something completely different from the image of ikebana I had before.

What do you think about intersections between Ikebana and contemporary art? 

I believe that Ikebana and contemporary art can enhance each other. Ikebana was originally conceived as an act of inviting Gods by setting up plants, and I find it fascinating to see works of contemporary art that have this kind of power. I also think that there is a lot to be learned from contemporary art as Ikebana has an ability to vividly capture the times in a way that no one has ever expressed before.

Did you feel that Cave gallery and Yokomichi projects have been transformed by Ikebana during the shooting?

This was a really exciting project for me. Both spaces were filled with the freshness of plants and anticipation of something new. You could feel the life forces coming in! I think a space is not just something that exists on its own but also something that comes to life when people gather and create. I see Ikebana as an element of a creative space where plants, flowers, and people come together.

Did your perception of Ikebana change when you saw artists (Makiko Morange and Reito Oizumi) at work?

There was such an empowering energy flow created by the Ikebana artists. New arrangements were born one after another, in one breath, it was very inspiring. It may have been because of their experience, but I got an impression that they were acting boldly and willing to take on the challenge without hesitation. There was also a lot of love and respect involved and of course a belief in oneself. I thought that I could grow spiritually through Ikebana.