Osamu Naruse　成瀬治

Naruse’s studio and residence can be found on a slightly elevated hill with a rich growth of trees, situated a short drive away from Kisarazu’s emerging residential area. The lack of a distinct culture, as well as the quiet and calm environment had been decisive factors for him moving to this area two years ago from Kawasaki. Naruse renovated an existing warehouse to create his metalworking studio filled with various heavy equipment including lifts, gas cylinders, cutting machines, and welding machines that can lift up to 1,000 tons of iron material. For Naruse, whose diverse practice ranges from the creation of small works such as spoons and vessels to architectural structures, there was a need to prepare a series of equipment that would allow him to produce most things. The adjacent cabin serves as a workshop for woodworking, while the artist’s residence –a simple open-plan room with a warm and comfortable wooden feel– is situated on the second floor. Both the workspace and residence had been built by the artist’s own hand.

Having entered the world of woodworking, Naruse began his career as a furniture craftsman. In order to expand the scope of his practice however, he came to commence work at an ironworks where he started working with metal, producing a wide range of things from chairs to lighting fixtures, and even buildings. Thereafter he moved to Mashiko and was invited to open shop in the local pottery market, which led him to pursue his own artistic practice. At first he found himself struggling, not knowing exactly what it was that he wished to create. As he continued to participate in the market, he encountered fellow artists and was inspired by their attitude of constant experimentation and research. Although Naruse mainly engaged in metalworking that required tools and electricity, recently he has been exploring further possibilities for his work by purposefully taking a more analog approach, also involving himself in the collecting of materials and their processing. For the production of his metal vessels, he creates a distinctly matte yet soft texture by enabling aluminum to react with alkali. Through intimately confronting each and every material, he attempts to bring out both the pros and cons of their inherent nature and properties.

Despite their minimal and sophisticated appearance, Naruse’s works permeate with a certain organic softness and delicacy. Works created through a combination of simple curves and materials which tend to present themselves as inorganic, come to embrace an air of personality at the hands of the artist, evoking a resonance of sorts with viewers. As it is often said that works reflect those that create them, Naruse’s works serve to convey his humble, gentle, and genuine personality. Although not making an overt statement, they harbor a sense of calm and gentleness, ruminating with a certain presence and quietly lying close to the lives of the people who cherish them. Naruse mentions that he can become acquainted with himself through creating. Having not been good at dealing with himself as a child, it was only through making things that he was able to discover what he truly liked or wanted to do. This stance remains unchanged to this day, as he engages in his artistic practice in a manner as if trying to unearth yet to bee seen or undiscovered aspects of himself. For Naruse, the act of creating is a continuous process of confronting his very own self.