Let me revisit how my interest in the “functional beauty” of plants led to the “Nature Art Exhibition” held in 2013.(Click here for the previous article)

A kind offer from Mr. Takimoto of GALLERY KISSA in Kuramae, Tokyo, whom I met in late 2012, played a key role. He really liked the Sola cube and asked me: “Would you like to hold a solo exhibition here?”

As I was intentionally trying to stay behind the scenes, I did not expect to have a chance for a solo exhibition at the gallery at that time. I recall how pleasantly surprised I was when I received the offer.

I accepted the offer with a simple “yes” as I was thrilled to be able to use a large space to exhibit my work.

I only had about 6 months to prepare for the exhibition.

To prepare for the exhibition from scratch, it was a daunting task for me. But with the help of many people, I worked really hard with a fighting spirit…

I intended to create an exhibition that not only focused on the “beauty” of plants but also emphasized their “function” as the foundation for such beauty. I aimed to create an intellectually engaging experience like visiting a museum.

The title “Nature Art Exhibition Presented by Sola cube” reflects that idea.

For the main exhibition, we decided to express the natural energy for the “dispersal of plant seeds” using the five elements that make up the universe, according to Buddhism: earth (chi), water (sui), fire (ka), wind (fu), and void (ku).

In addition to acrylic resin encapsulation, various technologies such as 3D printing, laser engraving, and CT scanning were used to complete the exhibited works.

【Earth】 “Japanese walnut (Onigurumi),” use squirrels to burrow into the ground for optimal germination/ 3D printed lighting work
【Water】 “Xylocarpus moluccensis (Houganhirugi),” travels thousands of kilometers through ocean currents on a cork-like float / 3D puzzle created using a medical CT scan
【Fire】 “Serotinous cone,” opens and germinates due to a forest fire / acrylic resin encapsulation
【Wind】 “Samara” flies far away on the wind / acrylic resin encapsulation【Void】 “Dandelion” flies freely in the sky / 3D model laser-engraved inside optical glass

In the next part, “The journey of Sola cube (05),” I plan to cover the opening of Usagi no nedoko, which took place shortly before the “Nature Art Exhibition.”

Writen by Koichi Yoshimura