Satoru Koizumi2 collaborationsThe rich histories of Japanese wood carving are central to Koizumi’s practice. When Buddhism was first introduced to the country, most Buddhas were made in gilt bronze, but soon carvings made from the trees abundant in Japan’s natural landscape became the norm. In time, the increasing popularity of Zen Buddhism - which rejected idolatry - saw many sculptors switch their attention to creating architectural elements for temples and shrines. Throughout the country’s modernisation, and an influx of international influences in the last century, wood carving has remained an important part of Japanese heritage: from emblematic structures such as Nikko Toshogu shrine to tea ceremony tools and other everyday domestic objects. Koizumi continues this legacy with his own contemporary take on traditional techniques. His wooden sculptures are, at a glance, lovable and endearing, but also reveal their creator’s reflections on the diversity of today’s society and its symbiotic yet destructive relationship with nature.
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