Archeology makes the mind wonder and brings an appealing emotion as well as understanding, and an indelible mystery of presence. From its very process I find inspiration. From any discarded material that has gone through the process of history and humanization is the potential of presence, not only physical but also spiritual. I feel in them the mystery of history and seek to bring out the spiritual essence and presence inherent in such materials.

I use discarded wood, railroad ties, telephone poles, beams and other woods shaped by the element and living things in the environment, and strive to work these materials without losing their natural qualities and vitality. To create a form not by imposing a preconceived configuration but by interacting within the structure so that the mediums own life history becomes the determinant of the final form. To execute the sculptures hand tools are used. I feel that to develop these materials in this manner it is impossible to go at a machine pace. It is essential to feel nature’s vitality and endowments.

Being a humanist, my art is deeply rooted in that sense. It evolves from my spirituality. And the essence of the approach is freedom of spirit. Finalizing, I strive to keep each work as natural as the medium itself yet to exist in another realm, exuding emotion and spirituality. Such as in the “Thunder Silence” of Zen.

Kenzi Shiokava