ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Frederick Harris Gallery | Michio Nakamura
by Nick Narigon Michio Nakamura is the only “kumikie” artist in the world. Creatively unsatisfied during his years as an illustrator in Tokyo, he longed to somehow return to his roots amid the verdant surroundings of Gifu Prefecture, and he became intrigued with wood as a medium for art. The concept of kumikie, which roughly translates as assembled wood pictures, was Nakamura’s brainchild. He first traces an original picture on a baseboard then selects exotic wood pieces (discarded by furniture makers and artisans) based on texture and color. Each piece is hand-beveled with a scroll saw and sanded to bring out the grain. The pieces are fit on the baseboard and the completed picture is varnished. “As a technique, it is a kind of inlay, but it is not the same as other craftworks around the world,” says Nakamura. “To collect waste woods and to give them a second life as pictures, I make them with the hope that when people look at these pictures—to which absolutely no paint is applied—they think about the environment and think about the relationship between nature and humans.” The scenes he creates depict stories that unfold in this imagined world of kumikie, inhabited by wild or domesticated animals, an old man of the woods and rural children. Nakamura has published several books of his works, and he and his wife, Kinue, operate a gallery and café near their home in Tokyo’s western hills.
Exhibition July 13–August 9
Gallery Reception
Monday, July 13 6:30–8 p.m. Frederick Harris Gallery (B1 Formal Lobby) Free Adults only Open to invitees and Members only All exhibits in the Frederick Harris Gallery are for sale and can be purchased by Membership card at Member Services. Sales of works begin at 6 p.m. on the first day of the exhibition.
16 July 2015 iNTOUCH