Kazumi Ikemoto

(Taken from Chappell Gallery website, 11/16/2012)

Kazumi Ikemoto uses imaginary half-man, half-beast creatures in scenes vaguely reminiscent of something “you have seen before” (artist’s words). The upturned, innocent eyes of the characters, not unlike those found in contemporary styles of animation and comics often associated with Japanese contemporary art, rivet the viewers. Floating above architectural realms that reflect the years he spent in Italy, his 360 degree scenes are depicted around the curved surface of large glass vessels. Ikemoto depicts a hazy world of chaotic memories where reality and fantasy intersect, half where the past and the present co-exist.

His images appear to be painted on the glass but are instead created by an elaborate process that produces a rich depth of hues: using a simple nozzle he blows vitreous enamel pigments onto the glass surface, then removes excess pigments with a brush and fires the layer at a temperature of 560 degree C. He repeats the process layer by layer of color.

In addition to his career as an independent artist, Ikemoto is a professor at the Tama Art Institute, where the first glass art program in Japan was established. His work is exhibited in galleries and museums throughout Asia, Europe and the USA.