Galerie Kashya Hildebrand is looking forward to showcase sculptures and etchings of Japanese artist Akiko Sato as its last show in Zurich. Kashya Hildebrand will be closing her gallery on Talstrasse at the end of February after ten successful years and will from now on concentrate on her London location.
Even though Akiko Sato has lived in Switzerland and Italy for many years, she still considers Japan as her spiritual and cultural home. The sculptor has dedicated the last twenty years to an in-depth exploration of the manifold notions and concepts of time. Her sculptures in marble, granite, alabaster or onyx give tangible forms to these abstract concepts. Viewing the sculptures from all sides and exploring their forms and surfaces by touch triggers forgotten memories and experiences. In her works a linear understanding of time is replaced by a completely open approach to the past, present and future, where apparent symmetries are broken by juxtapositions and intervals of time and space. The metamorphosis from sand to stone and eventually back to dust is a constant reminder of the evanescence of time.
Akiko Sato’s art captures fleeting memories and ephemeral moments with a particular focus on the five elements: heaven, earth, wind, fire and water rooted in Japanese philosophy. There is no direct reference to concrete forms or objects, but the viewers should be encouraged to engage in a free interpretation of the artworks. Fleeting or intangible phenomena such as waves, flames, clouds or wind are given forms in stone or on paper without losing their fleeting character. The sculptures out of marble and granite exude a graceful elegance and weightlessness and become tangible poetry poised in a moment of floating equilibrium. “I would like my sculptures to overcome the forces of gravity and reach a state of floating“, says the artist about her often large-scale stone sculptures. While it takes months to finish a marble, onyx or granite sculpture it is the concentration of a fraction of a second, which is necessary to create an ink drawing or etching. As different as these media might be, the same essence and spiritual kinship can be felt across the very different art forms, be it in her stone sculptures or works on paper.
Akiko Sato’s sculptures invite the viewers to engage not only in a visual but also tactile dialogue and it is the explicit wish of the artist that the sculptures are touched and experienced with all our senses.
ABOUT AKIKO SATO
The Japanese sculptor Akiko Sato has dedicated the last twenty years to an in-depth exploration of the manifold notions and concepts of time. Her sculptures in marble, granite, alabaster or onyx give tangible forms to these abstract concepts. Viewing the sculptures from all sides and exploring their forms and surfaces by touch triggers forgotten memories and experiences. In her works a linear understanding of time is replaced by a completely open approach to past, present and future where apparent symmetries are broken by juxtapositions and intervals of time and space. The metamorphosis from sand to stone and eventually back to dust is a constant reminder of the ephemerality of time.
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Press Releases:
English / Deutsch
Opening reception in the presence of the artist:
Wednesday, 8 January 2014, 6-8 pm
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 11–18.30 H, Saturday 12–16 H or by appointment
For further information please contact:
Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Talstrasse 58, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Tel +41 44 210 02 02
Fax +41 44 210 02 15
jolaine@kashyahildebrand.org
www.kashyahildebrand.org
PRESS COVERAGE
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