Exhibition "LIFE WITH NATURE" in Norway

2020年10月28日

The mountains in the Himalayas become visible for the first time in 30 years.

Fishes swimming around the water can be seen in Venice canals.

Sea turtles are thriving on the empty beaches in Florida.

The 'lockdown' experience has completely changed not only our lives but also the natural environment. We are perhaps seeing our planet in a new light now. It seems that this awful virus has not only caused great damage, but also has given us an opportunity to reflect on our approach to nature. "What nature was for us... And what we had done to it".We really hope this project will provide clues to reconsider our life and nature in a post-Covid-19 world. Artists have no borders even in hard times like this. When different values meet each other, something new is born. We also hope this project will be a cultural bridge between Norway and Japan.

Photopolymer by Lisa Karina Bakke

Calligraphy by Nakajima Hiroyuki

This project started just after the lockdown was lifted in Norway. Lisa Karina Bakke took her children out for walks to the forest close of her house for the first time in a while. At that time she fully realized the positive impact that nature has had upon her formative years. In the forest she took lots of pictures of her children enjoying in nature. This precious experience evoked the inner child in her. Being in the same situation in Japan, Nakajima Hiroyuki got the sudden email from Norway. It was the offer of this project from Lisa Karina Bakke. He replied right away to her that he deeply sympathized with the concept of this project whose theme is based on nature.Lisa Karina Bakke's photos taken in the forest are printed using the technique, photopolymer(*1). Nakajima Hiroyuki writes the Japanese character "LIFE" on a piece of rice paper with natural dye such as Indigo, Walnut and Olive. Then both artworks are compressed together and united into one by the technique, Chine Collé(*2) which is a special printmaking technique. This is the first attempt to unite photos of Norwegian forest by photopolymer printing and calligraphy with natural dye on Japanese rice paper together into one series of artwork.

*1/PhotopolymerPhotopolymer is a printmaking technique in which a photographic image is printed with an Etching Press, using a photosensitive printing plate. It attracts attention as a non-toxic printing technique that creates a plate with light and water without using chemicals.

*2/Chine-colléChine-collé is a printmaking technique in which the image is transferred onto the thin paper that is bonded onto a heavier support in the printing process. One purpose is to allow the printmaker to print on a much more delicate surface, such as the Eastern paper or linen.

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