The founder of Kanamono Art, Yoshiki Uchida works in the Japanese form of kanamono–translated as hardware–and includes forty-eight types of objects, such as pliers, screws, and many other similar items. With these materials, he constructs puzzle-like sculptures derived primarily from the animal kingdom. His work is large, looming, and grows less discernable the closer one gets, leaving the viewer with a sense of discomfort from the jarring difference of perception.
During his childhood, his father’s company was a supplier of metal hardware for the construction industry. As a result, the artist grew familiar with different kinds of kanamono (metal objects). As a boy, he struggled with conventional studies. Rather than using regular textbooks, he preferred learning from illustrated books about animals and insects. He was often out catching loaches and insects in the river, while his peers were studying for university entrance exams.
Recently, Kanamono Art has embraced traditional Japanese technology to preserve the endangered skills of artisans. My goal is to raise awareness about these exceptional crafts and pass them on to future generations through various approaches. Creating opportunities for people to learn about and take action in supporting these artisans would bring immense satisfaction.
YOSHIKI UCHIDA ON
I am the founder of Kanamono Art, which consists of arranging various pieces of kanamono-Japanese for hardware–into dynamic flatworks and sculptures. Normally, metal processed into kanamono appears hard and inorganic. Yet, when countless kanamono pieces link together in succession, they form chains that transform freely, resembling the double helical chain of genes found in living things. These chained objects gather, create shapes, and eventually metamorphose into lively creatures like animals, fish, and insects, exhibiting energetic movements.
The 48 tools, like nails, screws, screwdrivers, and pliers, merge into distinctive creatures, reflecting dynamic life rhythms through their surfaces and contours. Upon closer inspection, one discovers that these contours and surfaces result from countless small metal objects arranged in intricate lines. Organic creatures and inorganic materials, life and death–things that appear antithetic–are chaotically mixed together, like the principles of reincarnation and the rise and fall of life. The unique sense of contradiction that can only be created from such chaos is the message that Kanamono Art tries to convey.
Recently, I have embraced traditional Japanese technology to preserve the endangered skills of artisans. My goal is to raise awareness about these exceptional crafts and pass them on to future generations through various approaches. Creating opportunities for people to learn about and take action in supporting these artisans would bring immense satisfaction.
ORIGINAL YOSHIKI UCHIDA ARTWORKS ON
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