MASATOMO TOI
TAJIMI, GIFU (JAPAN)
My art is deeply captivated by the softness and imperfection of clay as a material. The core of my work is the expression of my inner self and the cathartic process of deep self-understanding expressed through touching the material and creating form. The softness, natural imperfection and variability of clay is imbued with the spirit of wabisabi. Beauty resides in the idea of the imperfection and transience of all things.
Play Series
The fast-changing, competitive, information-overload nature of contemporary culture is the main cause of stress, the increase of depression and mental and spiritual problems. I found in clay a means of release, a means of expressing the acute heartache I experienced at the suicide of a friend. This process is closely linked to the catharsis of clinical psychology and sandplay therapy (hakoniwa ryōhō). My works are a means of releasing emotions and encouraging inner healing. The combination of expressing strong emotions with the calm and imperfection of wabisabi provides a visual insight into the stresses and depression of modern culture.
Re - Series (Re-use, Re-cycle, Re-pair)
I have created works inspired by the tattered rags (boro) of Tōhoku, the chawan Bakōhan and Seppō, and using the discarded waste of the Mino area. A feeling of new beauty is born through the multi-layering and coordination of self, discarded materials, obsolescence and the passage of time.
I seek the healing and liberation of my heart through expressing the visual dynamism of subjective feelings.
Photography: Byron Bowman Kehoe