OKI KENICHI 人物を変形させることで思考を表現した抽象画、アルファベットを独自の形に変形させた文字作品、またはその2つを掛け合わせた作品をベースに、立体作品やインスタレーション作品なども発表している。2014年にはニューヨークへ渡り、Bushwick Open Studiosの参加アーティストに選出され、その後、国内のみならず海外での活動も続けている。また、アパレルブランドやミュージシャンとのコラボレーションアイテムのデザインも多数手掛ける。
インドのミティラー画を基調とする気鋭のアーティスト・イラストレーター・Takahisa Hashimotoによる6年ぶりのソロ・エキシビション「Sweet City Blues」。架空都市を舞台にしたストリートチルドレンをモチーフに、社会の隅で諦めずに生きるマイノリティたちへの讃歌として描いた作品展。
生きた植物へと姿を変える、紙からできたオブジェ『Semis*（スミ）』。植物の種を含んだ有機的な彫刻たちは、水をあたえることで生命を宿していく。種が芽を出しツボミとなり、草花が成長していく過程で、彫刻たちの気配は次第に薄れ、静かにその姿を消していく。 私たちを取り巻くモノやその永続性に対して、Semisはゆっくりと疑問を投げかける。これはモノの「はかなさ」をテーマとしたデザイナーの研究活動であり、自然界の持つ変化や再生の原則に、デザインというものづくりをする行為が受ける影響を探る探究の旅である。 *仏語で「種」や「種まき」を意味する言葉 Semis is a series of paper forms that bloom into living plants. Series of organic sculptures containing seeds which, once watered, will gradually come to life. With a light vocabulary, evocation of fragile beauty, Semis blossoms. As the seed grows, becoming bud then flower, the sculpture gently fades away. This research explores the ephemeral nature of objects, questioning how design can engage with principles of transformation inspired by the natural world. It encourages a shift away from material permanence, focusing on impermanence and renewal as a new lens to design.
Semis presents a journey in objects through nature’s metamorphosis, involving visitors in a contemplative experience to witness the series’ evolution.
Upon entering, the first series of forms at various stages of transformation reveals the transition from paper to plant. The exhibition explores not only botanical aesthetics— shape, dynamic, and texture—but also the properties of the material itself. Visitors are invited to contemplate the role of this particular paper as both an artistic medium and a facilitator of life. Accompanying texts unveil the process, offering an understanding of this research at the intersection of art and design.
As the exhibition progresses, light filtering through tracing paper panels casts soft shadows that suggest the silhouette of the hidden seeds. This progression subtly builds as we witness the organic elements emerge, illustrating nature’s takeover.
Each paper form reveals a different stage of transformation, culminating in a panoramic view resembling a living garden of sculptures overrun by sprouts and flowers. This final scene, where human creation meets nature’s force, invites reflection on the tension between them. Though serene, the experience of Semis stirs deeper thoughts on our relationship to the natural world. An exhibition that evokes feelings of hope and sorrow with research around a material used for the first time in design.
The lightweight paper forms evoke ephemerality and the fragility of the organic world. They result from the observation of plants—flying seeds, stems, leaves—and follow some of their principles. A tribute to flora, the series merge organicness with simplicity in production. Each sculpture begins flat, cut, scored, and folded into shapes that anyone can assemble. Once returned to the soil, the paper dissolves, completing its cycle from object to life.
The project is crafted around a specially developed fertile paper that support plant growth.
After extensive research on biodegradability, paper composition, and seeds, Semis merges aesthetic with purpose. As they dissolve into the soil, the paper shapes provide essential support for the plants, coherently integrating form and function to leave a positive impact in their wake. Each sculpture is made to be planted, becoming an individual gesture that fosters the idea of collective action.
