A Golden Circle Appearing on a side of a Japanese Room; Japanese mARTerials Starring in International Art Today

A sparklingly shining golden circle on a side of a calm and quiet Japanese room… Is this a CG work?

SHODOSHIMA 2018 ©GEORGE ROUSSE

This is the remaining installation created by a French photographer Mr. George Rousse, originally for The Setouchi International Art Festival 2019.

Rousse is renowned for his unique works portraying soon-to-be-demolished constructions across the globe. As soon as he arrives on the site, he fixes a camera at one point and through its finder, his team marks a geometric pattern on the room. His artworks are the photographs portraying such installations (not the ephemerals themselves, soon to be destroyed).

So, the image above is not the work of CG but is the photo of his installation work taken from the very same point as he did for his work.

When we visited this gallery in Shodoshima Island, the owner of the gallery Jun Ishii kindly and passionately told us about the stories of the artist, George Rousse and his work. Ishii’s grandparents had resided in this house before.

As an initiator of the “Han-shin Art Project,” in 1995, Ishii had invited Rousse to Kobe city destroyed by The Great Han‐Shin Awaji Earthquake. Throughout the project, Rousse worked in the damaged buildings and kept the memoir of the disaster in photographs.

Since then they have deepened their friendship, and in 2018, Ishii invited Rousse to Japan once again, and as “Shodoshima Art Project,” three works including this golden circle one, were created.

Except for these three works in Shodoshima Island, all the sites he worked at have been demolished. This makes Shodoshima Island the only place on the earth where we can experience and enjoy the marvellous space created by Rousse.

The Creative Spirit

As mentioned above, the works of Rousse are wholly photographic.

So, there is only one tiny spot in the room that the gold appears to be a circle. It is such a joy to encounter infinite different faces the room shows us.
Examined closely, even the rope hanged from the ceiling light is gilded…

Do you see it?
On the other hand, the spaces unseeable from the point- the side of the alcove, for example- are not gilded.
Respecting the original space, he includes all of it in the work, but never wastes the materials.
The sincere spirit of the artist is felt here.

Materials and the Aesthetic Sense;
The Interaction of “Odds” Bringing the New Sense of Beauty Forth

Pleasantly breaking the Japanese stereotypical idea that “Japanese rooms should represent frugality and simplicity,” Rousse has lavishly installed gold leaf.
The Japanese room calmly lighted by the warm sunlight of the Setouchi area and the shining gold- two different natures of “beauty” –remarkably highlight each other, making the room a sophisticated yet calm and harmonious space.

Other than this piece, in the garret of the house, there is a square mark painted with Soy sauce made in Shodoshima Island and chalk.

SHODOSHIMA 2018 ©GEORGE ROUSSE

And in the shed of Ishii’s cousin, five minutes’ walk away from the house, there is another circle mark gilded with copper leaves.

SHODOSHIMA 2018 ©GEORGE ROUSSE

In contrast to the gold leaves that are resistant to the chemical reactions and shine almost eternally, copper oxidizes and changes its colour overtime. The lines drawn with chalks also easily fade when rubbed.

It was truly intriguing to see how Rousse, inspired by the Japanese original sense of ephemeral beauty, such as “impermanence” and “fragility,” has embodied these sentiments through the Japanese materials.

When artists with unique values and senses of beauty meet the materials of foreign lands, there is an infinite room for new, flexible and innovative creations; just as Rousse beautifully worked with the Soy sauce in a Japanese room.
His insight into the beauty being developed through travelling the world and sincerely facing the history, materials and essential values nurtured in each place he touches.

It must have been also an exciting and inspiring experience for the Japanese gilders and volunteers, to have been involved in such works led by the creativity of a foreign artist.

We, Shizendo, will strive to be an intriguing place for artists who pursue an innovative sense of beauty. We are genuinely excited to see what happens when Japanese materials are touched by the creativity of the international artists and share the stories with you.

Gallery;
GEORGES gallery + KOHIRA café
https://www.georges-gallery.com/

Artist;
George Rousse (1947-) From Paris, France
https://www.georgesrousse.com/en/biography/