A gigantic red ribbon lingers between Bamboo trunks in a London park. It's an ikebana installation by contemporary ikebana artist Satoru Kato for the Crossover uk 2001 festival. The horizontal red line near the ground contrasts the vertical lines of the bamboo trunks and the many green colours of the park. Crossover uk uses the visual arts to facilitate the exchange of ideas to promote cultural awareness between communities of different cultural origins and backgrounds. They have a special focus on Japan and South East Asia, and Satoru Kato has been involved in organizing exhibitions and participated in the 2001 and 2005 festival.
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| Crossovers, Ikebana Installation (2001), Mile End Park, London. |
Born in 1944 and having practiced Ikebana since the 1960s, Satoru Kato is no longer a newcomer. With a focus on presenting the "life of material itself", he is producing artistic events, installations and performances, working as an ikebana artist, ikebana critic and curator.
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| In praise of shadows at Tsumari (2009), Koshirakura, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. |
As a member of Group F, Satoru Kato has also been part of the Ikebana House exhibitions at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennales. The 2009 installation In praise of shadows at Tsumari consisted of weaves of plant materials in a modern expression, creating a dialogue with the old wooden building where it was exhibited. The description on the exhibition website gives the background for the work:
"Burning rice husks in the garden — a scene from the artist’s hometown evoked in his memory. Identifying memories of his hometown with Yomogihira village, the artist weaves together the memory of these landscapes. In sensing the subtle breathing of the house, the artist spontaneously alters his artwork. This is an approach that is unique to Ikebana artists. Similar to creating poems by association, the creation of art is associated and processed as a whole".
In the 2012 installation Tsumaarikourin the main element was a large red ball shaped object filling up the whole room.
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| Tsumaarikourin (2012), Koshirakura, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. |
When I was looking for information on the work by Satoru Kato I came across a photo book documenting his sculptural ikebana and installations from the 1980s. I was able to buy this rare book and it is now part of my ikebana library. This last picture is from the book and it shows an avant-garde ikebana installation with large cardboard tubes. I love the colours and the use of straight and curved lines in this 3 meter high sculpture.
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| Satoru Kato, Untitled (1982) Cardboard tubes, 300 x 90 x 300. |
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Hana: Natural Material Art Arrangements of Satoru Kato
by Satoru KatoSoft cover
Published by Satoru Kato 1989