Toshio Sekiji

Subcontinent, Woven Newspaper Wall Hanging by Toshio Sekiji

1998

Japanese artist, Toshio Sekiji, intertwines strips of paper from various cultures, rewriting messages and imaging a harmonious confluence of disparate cultures, languages and nationalities – different than the facts on the ground. "One night, after reading some newspapers, I tore them into strips and then poured on natural Japanese lacquer, which I had used for antique restoration. I tossed the strips of paper like a salad. The action of the natural, organic substance on the edges of each hand-torn newspaper strip produced unexpected effects. Lacquer is a difficult medium to work with, and I had felt restricted, like someone trapped in the bottom of a well by the rigid division used in the traditional lacquering process. This new way of using lacquer was liberating. The loose fibers of the paper absorbed the lacquer, and, when the strips were woven the result was a lacquer-enhanced tapestry of almost-symbols, a tapestry that vanished at the border of meaning. The segments of torn newspaper that appear on the woven surface of the work are like the frames of a cartoon, passing over and under each other. Newspaper stories lose their beginning and end, and new visions are revealed." -- Toshio Sekiji