Seidenki-hataki Moribana (Poster)

In 2005, I created the first Ike-100-Yen-Shop Ikebana objects in Tokyo for an exhibition in Nagano. Instead of the kenzan (nail-like plate into which you stick and fix the branches), I use clay to fix the positions; then everything is cast in concrete. Ikebana can be very brutal. The flower is broken and pierced with wire so that the aesthetic doctrine can be taken into account and nature can be embellished according to people’s aesthetic ideas. Bending the branches without breaking them is also very important in ikebana. For me, this meant first testing the materiality and bendability of various plastic materials and other materials. In other words, I am constantly developing my ikebana style, just as the traditional ikebana schools have constantly evolved.

(Artist’s statement on the work)

The motif is part of the poster series “Struktur” and from the work series “Ike-100-Yen-Shop, Objects since 2005”.