Monday, October 14, 2024

Handmade Paper Cascades Throughout Mika Obayashi’s Meditative Installations

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#installation #Mika Obayashi #paper #string

Handmade Paper Cascades Throughout Mika Obayashi’s Meditative Installations

a person stands in the center of an installation that hangs from the ceiling in a gallery. strings connect to horizontal papers in a gradient from white to navy

“Gospel of Three Dimensions” (2022), abaca paper, cotton cord, indigo, 7 x 7 x 11 feet. Photo by Samara Pearlstein. All images © Mika Obayashi, shared with permission

“A central ingredient is empty space,” says Mika Obayashi about her gossamer installations of paper and cord. The artist constructs delicate, yet immersive works that hang from the ceiling in precise squares or triangles, their strings hovering just above the floor. Precise and organic, the installations question the relationship between material and space and “can be looked at, in, and through all at once.”

Her works evoke Lenore Tawney’s renowned Cloud series, atmospheric sculptures of innumerable knotted threads. Obayashi is similarly meditative, with projects like “Gospel of Three Dimensions” layering hand-made paper dyed with indigo into a striking gradient. A central cavern allows the viewer to step inside, enveloping them in an ethereal cascade of blue hues.

The artist is currently working toward an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, where she’s exploring the territory between the familiar and non- in everyday objects. You can follow her latest projects on Instagram.

an installation hangs from the ceiling in a gallery. strings connect to horizontal papers in a gradient from white to navy

“Gospel of Three Dimensions” (2022), abaca paper, cotton cord, indigo, 7 x 7 x 11 feet. Photo by Samara Pearlstein

looking up at an installation that hangs from the ceiling in a gallery. strings connect to horizontal papers in a gradient from white to navy

Detail of “Gospel of Three Dimensions” (2022), abaca paper, cotton cord, indigo, 7 x 7 x 11 feet. Photo by Samara Pearlstein

an installation hangs from the ceiling in a gallery. red strings connect to horizontal white papers that appear to coil up a central axis

“As the Crow Flies” (2020), washi paper, wool yarn, feathers, 4 x 4 x 9 feet

a detail image of an installation that hangs from the ceiling in a gallery. red strings connect to horizontal white papers that appear to coil up a central axis

Detail of “As the Crow Flies” (2020), washi paper, wool yarn, feathers, 4 x 4 x 9 feet

a detail image of red threads puncturing a horizontal white paper

Detail of “As the Crow Flies” (2020), washi paper, wool yarn, feathers, 4 x 4 x 9 feet

an installation hangs from a white board in a gallery. white strings connect to horizontal white papers that appear to rise like a mountain from the base

“Sphere Rising” (2022), washi paper, wool yarn, sumi ink, wood, 3 x 4 x 7 feet

a detail image of white strings connecting to horizontal white papers

Detail of “Sphere Rising” (2022), washi paper, wool yarn, sumi ink, wood, 3 x 4 x 7 feet

#installation #Mika Obayashi #paper #string

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