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MY GRAND FATHER AND I 2013 engraving on a brass slate The artist works on pictures taken by her father during her childhood. She looks for the space “between”, between herself and other members of the family. This space “between “ in Japan is called MA. And that which is in the space between a human being and another is the essential space. The artist chooses to work on a Christmas picture which portrays herself and her grandfather while they open a present. She selects the profiles of the figures and their hands. Then she transposes these shapes on a brass slate. The technique the artist chooses is called maniera nera, a very long process whereby the black areas are obtained by tiny hand-made engravings caused by continuous movements oriented in all directions. She chooses this lenghty technique because it appears to be in tune with what this work wants to be, that is a prayer. After obtaining the blackened areas, the slate is used to print several times, and each time the slate is cut up into smaller parts. The prints are obtained thinking about a progressive thinning out of shapes. |