Japanese artist, Kai Ono: The sculpture with tenderness and distortion

Pinya Wang

Post date:: November 9, 2023 07:00; (Update: October 26, 2023 01:50)

I am going to introduce a Japanese artist whose sculpture work is totally different to the ones you have ever seen before.

Now, give me 30 seconds for the picture below.

How do you feel about it?

For me, the colorful part is popping up in my eyes immediately and somehow poisonous which makes it hard for the spectators to ignore their existence. Then, my eyes focused on the bottom part, the white and black line which consists of elegant lines which are really modern while making me think about the aboriginal patterns. The shapes look like the plant you may see in the garden, yet somehow different to the normal ones.

If you take a closer look at them…

You will find out that these sculptures are made and covered by the yarns!

Table of Contents

Why yarns?

Actually, Ono started playing the clay since little and even majored in sculpture in Tokyo art university before. However, he has changed the material and the method of his sculpture after an exhibit in the university. He was shocked that the spectators only took a glimpse at his sculpture without feeling anything. Since that, he was eager to communicate with spectators and felt that yarns could be a new start. People are familiar with yarn and almost all the people have the experience touching it, which makes the distance between the spectators and the art closer.

The colors: you may see 7 colors in the work, actually they is only 1 kind of the color

The rainbow-like color is a circulation, it can be endlessly repeated.

The black and white part is the same way. Both can be multiplied and disappeared and keep continuing the circulation. Also, even though all the works are made of 7 colors, Ono selects specific colors for giving people different emotions toward his art works.

The distortion

If you spend time observing Ono’s works from different angles, you may notice that the shape will be changed all the time. It’s like if you want to see the work more and try to communicate with it, it will reply to you and show you more. The colorful lines also look like moving ones which make you feel illusion sometimes.