2004 Autumn - Byobu Intro - Tatsuya Ishiodori - Motoko Maio
Motoko Maio, Picture mounter
photography by Tadayuki Naito
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Born in 1948 in Tokyo, Maio started producing hanging scrolls in 1980 and byobu folding screens in 1986. In addition to her many private exhibitions, her works have been featured in a great number of magazines. In recent years, she has focused on creating her own unique style of artwork for exhibit abroad by exploring and enhancing the maximum potential of byobu folding screens. Among the books she has authored is Enjoying Mounting — Creating Hanging Scrolls and Byobu, published by NHK Publishing Co. Ltd.
www.maiostudio.com |
"An art form with a thousand faces"
For Motoko Maio, byobu folding screens are somewhat erotic things. First of all, their function of enclosure is sexy. At the same time, they represent an appealing uncertainty. Though they partition space, they do not completely block sound or air flow. They suggest erotic possibility, she believes, in such subtle actions as "a stolen glimpse" or "a whispered sound." Byobu can transform ordinary settings into extraordinary spaces and therefore, she says, "they exist free of obligatory rules or regulations of daily life." This is the very reason why Maio is now more attracted to byobu than to hanging scrolls, on which she has mounted art in the past; she feels scrolls are regulated by too many rules and restrictions.
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Wataru (Cross Get Across)
A pair of 10-panel folding screens (each panel 22cm wide, 91.5cm high), Motoko Maio, 2004
Panels of folding screens show infinite expressions (faces) according to the angles in which they are folded. Those bearing gold or silver leaf assume different shades and sheens based on angles of light and reflection. Depending on the season and the time of day, their look can differ greatly. More variation comes from the fact that they can be moved any time, readily changing the background scenery. This characteristic is enhanced all the more in Maio's screens because numerous panels are reversible. They embody "an art form with 1,000 faces." The photos above show four variations of the same pair of screens. One side is made from black-lacquered Japanese paper, colored with Japanese plaster and black ink, over which spans a bridge in tinfoil. Double-layering and oxidizing give the foil different hues. The other side is made from layers of paper scraps applied with persimmon tannin and gilded with gold leaf. The enso (circle of enlightenment in Zen Buddhism) suggests Maio's playful spirit. |
She not only applies paintings to the surface of screens, but also creates the screens themselves. Ordinary byobu consist of 2 or 4 panels, or 6 at the most, but Maio makes them with 10 or 12. These can be set in a cylindrical or S-shape. Depending on how each panel is placed, it can create myriad expressions. She does not hang her screens because she values the aspect of folding screens that lets them extend into their surroundings, transcending borders and limits. Definite boundaries are abolished. Moreover, Maio's screens are completely reversible (decorated on both sides), which is one of the distinctions of her work. There is no obvious front and back. Rather, each side has its own perfection. They are also lightweight. Every element she uses — cedar, Japanese paper, fabric, pigment — is light and natural, so even a large screen can be moved by a woman alone.
Maio emphasizes her use of traditional hinges made from Japanese paper. These are peculiar to byobu. Unlike conventionally mounted metal hinges, they can fold the panels in either direction. Also, they don't produce gaps between panels, affording a large unbroken surface for paintings. That makes the screens reversible; panels can folded in either direction and adjusted at will. More flexible and durable than fabric, paper hinges have lasted 1,000 years if protected from moisture.
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Koeru (Surmount)
A pair of 10-panel folding screens (each panel 55cm wide, 110cm high), Motoko Maio, 2004
The deep crimson areas are red silk and the black areas are lacquer. The design, which covers both sides, is unique. The ornamental surface was formed from paper tubes with thin cushioning inside; these have been woven like wickerwork. Maio colored the black paper tubes with ink, plaster, iron rust, and whitewash. She says, "The deep crimson silk reminds me of a woman of bygone days — though graceful and delicate, she was strong-willed and resilient. Red silk goes well with any color and is used in every type of kimono. Though it looks obedient and docile, it is actually formidable and strong. It always gives me a lot of energy. "These byobu exude movement and resemble a living creature expressing mysterious passion and eroticism. |
Indeed, Maio asserts that paper hinges are the most important element of Japanese folding screens. "No matter how contemporary the surface," she says, "I want to keep using the wisdom of the ancient artists regarding the hinges, and carefully make them one by one by hand."
Maio's byobu received such accolades at the International Asian Art Fair in New York this past spring that her works have been scheduled for exhibition at the International Art + Design Fair this autumn. Even though antique byobu are highly valued as a form of Nihonga (Japanese painting), contemporary folding screens are gaining fans as movable three-dimensional art. Maio will surely play an active role in this growing area of international art.
Exhibition of Motoko Maio's folding screens in New York
Many of her new byobu, including those previewed here on our pages, will be exhibited this autumn in New York City.
The International Art + Design Fair
October 8 - 13, 2004
Seventh Regiment Armory
643 Park Avenue, New York City
Booth: Lesley Kehoe Galleries
www.haughton.com
lesley@kehoe.com.au
Articles from the 2004 AUTUMN issue:
Articles from the 2004 AUTUMN issue:
Kateigaho International Edition Issues:
2005 SUMMER - 2005 SPRING - 2005 WINTER
2004 AUTUMN - 2004 SUMMER - 2004 SPRING - 2004 WINTER
2003 AUTUMN - INAUGURAL ISSUE
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