Ikuko Fujisawa has taken the traditional Japanese medium of Sumi ink and used it to create expressive abstract works in her first exhibition Iku: Invisible Connection on display at Orange Regional Gallery.
Born in Japan, Iku moved to Australia 30 years ago and has lived in Orange for 16 years.
Orange City Council Services Policy Committee Chair, Cr Mel McDonell encourages everyone to come along and support Iku in her debut exhibition.
“I’m so pleased Orange Regional Gallery has discovered such a talented local artist and given us all the opportunity to see her incredible works and learn more about the process of creating her art,” Cr McDonell said.
Artist Ikuko Fujisawa
“It’s great that we have a state-of-the-art gallery here in Orange where local artists can take centre stage along with internationally acclaimed artists such as Laurence Edwards.”
Iku was introduced to Japanese calligraphy using Sumi ink at the young age of four. Sumi ink is made from compressed soot, which is rubbed onto a wet stone and diluted with water to create different colour tones, a process that can take a couple of hours.
However, having lost interest in the practice in favour of more modern art in later years, a turning point came at age 23 when she began studying under Japanese master calligrapher Bakuzan Sakaki.
“He encouraged me to use the Sumi ink as a material in my own art, not just for traditional calligraphy,” Iku said.
In these recent paintings, Iku has taken her inspiration from the shadows she observes in everyday life. Producing this exhibition has also renewed her interest in calligraphy and inspired her to study its history and techniques.
