2024.9.14sat - 10.20 sun

TOYAMAKANAZAWA

ARTISTS

Kawai Masaru & Tsukamoto Yoshiki

  • EXHIBITION
  • EVENT

01/3

[On exhibit] Kawai Masaru, Sliced Wood Plate, 2016-, cedar. Collection of the artist.

[On exhibit] Kawai Masaru, Paper Cabinet, 2023, Mino washi paper, cedar and aluminum. Collection of the artist.

[Reference image] Tsukamoto Yoshiki, Sklo.

Blessed with a temperate climate and heavy rainfall, Japan is home to vast forest resources. The woodworker Kawai Masaru believes the key to restoring once-abundant coniferous forests to their former beauty is to turn attention to the mountains by using their timber. Kawai’s handcrafted works express his values and attitude toward nature as well as his way of interacting with it. The owner of the restaurant Si Zhi Tang, Tsukamoto Yoshiki, launched this collaboration in response to Kawai’s vision. The Sliced Wood Plate on view are disposable dishes made of paper-thin slices of coniferous wood shaped into lotus petals. The plates are used for dining purposes at Si Zhi Tang. Compared to paper plates, they require less energy to produce and generate no harmful waste once their lifespan is complete. Tsukamoto returns the used plates to the earth himself in the fields he cultivates. Creating utensils to be returned to the earth is a thought-provoking act, encouraging reflection on society’s relationship with nature and commitment to recycling resources.

EXHIBITION

HIGASHIYAMA AREA

H-5|Sklo

EVENT

A Unique Dining Experience with Sliced Wood Plate at Si Zhi Tang Kanazawa

H-6|Si Zhi Tang Kanazawa

Nature Hike with Forest Guide Miura Yutaka Exploring the Cycles of Tsubata’s Forests

Shichikuro, Tsubata

PROFILE

Kawai Masaru

b. 1979 in Gifu Prefecture. Kawai graduated with a degree in architecture from Kyoto Seika University in 2001. He opened his own business in 2007 after studying woodworking in Hida and furniture craftsmanship in Kyoto. In parallel with his work as an artist, he launched the brand Soma to showcase the potential benefits of forests in 2016. He develops products using cedar and cypress, conducts fieldwork as he walks through the forest to learn from nature, and plans hands-on experiences, like crafting chairs with hand tools alone. Past exhibits include Soma: Japanese Forests and the Possibilities of Untreated Wood (Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, 2019). His works are in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Sweden.

Tsukamoto Yoshiki

b. 1975 in Ishikawa Prefecture. In 2005, Tsukamoto opened Sklo Room Accessories, an antique shop located next to the Saigawa river in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. The same year, he entered the agriculture industry by starting Skuro Farm in Tsubata to protect rice farming in the area. Tsukamoto founded the Sklo Gallery in 2018, a Taiwanese restaurant called Si Zhi Tang Kanazawa in 2020, and a shop called Karch in the hotel Korinkyo in 2021. He engages in a diverse activities in addition to store management, including growing pesticide-free black rice, organizing exhibitions and events, and interior styling.