Sakura Yabe　矢部桜

From angels with wings to mythological mermaids and graphically defined flowers. The three-dimensional, relief-like motifs exude a mysterious charm, as if having sprung straight out of some exotic mural or old picture book. All such works are made using lacquer. The first thing that comes to mind when hearing the word ‘lacquer’ are usually glossy bowls in jet-black or vermillion, yet Yabe’s lacquer art works are of an entirely different nature. Her work uses what is known as ‘kokuso-urushi,’ a clay-like mixture of lacquer, wood shavings, hemp cloth, wheat flour, and rice flour. Kokuso-urushi is a material that has been passed down since ancient times, and has been famously used for the surfaces of statues such as the Asura. By using this, it is possible to create a softer and more delicate look compared to wood or metal. Yabe’s relief-like wall hangings are made by placing thick layers of this clay-like kokuso-urushi on a wooden board that has been laser-cut into the shape of the motif, thereby rendering it into three-dimensional form. Drying the lacquer requires a certain level of humidity and temperature to be maintained, which requires careful management. After several days of drying, the surface is sanded smooth and colored with lacquer mixed with pigments. The completed work is the result of several different processes, from the blending and preparation of raw materials to molding and finishing.

While a student at Tokyo University of the Arts, Yabe was not particularly interested in lacquer, yet she soon became absorbed by its sheer depth once having tried working with it. Although lacquer is a well-established traditional craft, she felt that it still had potential as a material for contemporary artists to express themselves in new ways. When she started working with lacquer, she felt constrained by the emphasis placed only on its quality and technique as a traditional craft. Some artists were beginning to produce work of contemporary art using lacquer, yet it differed from what she wished to do. As a lacquer artist, she felt the need to follow her own route in order to find something that no one else was doing. In 2022, she traveled alone to a rural town in Sweden where there was no lacquer culture at all. She studied ceramics and woodcarving at a crafts school, and undertook residencies in the mountains and at a dairy farm. She chose Sweden because she felt at home in its rustic and not too sophisticated atmosphere, where traditional crafts have taken root in the cities and good old things still remained. She particularly found herself struck by the pop, graphical designs and somewhat relaxed touch of the religious paintings that remained in the Dalarna region. She was impressed by the fact that these religious paintings, as detailed and without a single flaw as those found in the churches of major European cities, could be interpreted, and reconstructed in this way. For Yabe, who neither wished to pursue traditional crafts nor contemporary art, there was a sense that something was suddenly becoming clear to her. She began to wonder if she too, could express the beauty in imperfection through lacquer, like the decorative paintings that were developed by the hands of nameless craftsmen.

Feathers, creatures, and plants are often employed as motifs in Yabe’s works. For her, they serve as symbols of ‘freedom.’ Yabe believes that art should be free, and she expresses her desire to create works without being bound by various things as much as possible. During her stay in Northern Europe, she felt that religion, art, and people were closely interrelated. Religious art had naturally found its way into things like routine visits to church and engaging in acts of prayer. Religion and art were close to people, and were closely connected to them in their daily lives. Although her works harbor no religious meaning, she hopes that they could be a source of support and comfort to someone. The theme that Yabe has continued to pursue throughout her practice is how to attract the interest of the younger generation to the material of lacquer itself, and how to make it feel more familiar and accessible to them. The fact that her work is exotic, yet familiar and imaginative in its storytelling, seems to bring us closer to art and lacquer culture.