Toyoharu Kii
"Ghost (Waiting for Friends), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2022
2022

About the Item

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony. Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.” In this mosaic entitled "Ghost (Waiting for Friends)," Kii takes a more representational approach to his storytelling, creating figurative drawings out of thin lines of tesserae. The mosaic belongs to his “Ghost” triptych, wherein Kii uses “wings” to represent the presence of a heavenly being, perhaps the ghosts of past spirits or the presence of an angel or guardian. In “Ghost (Waiting for Friends),” Kii imagines that “some day on the dilapidated land a strange creature might appear.” Comprised of a dense mosaic of abstract patterns, this strange figure may represent nature’s return to a barren landscape. Sheltered by the wings of a kindly guardian, the creature roams the earth searching for others to join him. “Ghost (Waiting for Friends),” 2022 Toyoharu Kii (b. 1953) Marble mosaic and smalti.

Creator:

Toyoharu Kii (1953, Japanese)

Creation Year:

2022

Dimensions:

Height: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)

Medium:

Glass,Marble,Wood,Mosaic

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

21st Century