Dear Oblivion (A study of Empress Haruko)
This piece emerged from Tezuka’s extensive investigation into the relationships between Japan and Western Europe, Art and Crafts, Modern and Contemporary, and the past and the present. ‘Dear Oblivion (A study of Empress Haruko)’ was inspired by a court dress worn by Empress Haruko.
Flowery Obscurity (The Night Watch)
This piece emerged from Tezuka’s extensive investigation into the relationships between Japan and Western Europe, Art and Crafts, Modern and Contemporary, and the past and the present. ‘Flowery Obscurity (The Night Watch)’ references Rembrandt's painting The Night Watch and ornamental Chintz textiles. On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt van Rijn’s death, many special exhibitions and projects were organised to celebrate this master. Tezuka was asked by the Rijskmuseum in Amsterdam to create a piece related to Rembrandt’s work.
A Study of Necessity (Satsuma-Buttons and Self-Orientalism)
This piece emerged from Tezuka’s extensive investigation into the relationships between Japan and Western Europe, Art and Crafts, Modern and Contemporary, and the past and the present. ‘A Study of Necessity (Satsuma-Buttons and Self-Orientalism)’ deals with Satsuma buttons, which were exported from Japan to Western Europe in the late Edo period to satisfy the growing demand for Japanese products.
Dear Oblivion (A study of Empress Haruko)
The namesake ‘Dear Oblivion (A study of Empress Haruko)’ (2019) is an homage to the Empress of Meiji Japan, who navigated old-world/new-world international politics through couture and poetry. The Empress was the first empress to have publically worn Western clothes instead of a traditional kimono as a symbolic gesture.
Aiko Tezuka - Flowery Obscurity (The Night Watch)
F Flowery Obscurity (The Night Watch)’ translates The Night Watch (1642) into weaving and modifies the original image with straps of ornamental Chintz, a patterned fabric of Indian origin made popular in both Japan and Western Europe via its distribution by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. In Tezuka’s version of The Night Watch, the Chintz replaces Rembrandt’s famed light rays to disrupt both the picture plane and the painting’s rarely questioned “Europeanness.” Thus, the legendary past of the masterpiece is intertwoven with the history of maritime trade between the Dutch and countries in East Asia; namely, Japan. The “obscurity” in the title refers to the dimming of the painting caused by discolouration over time, and it refers to the cultures of East Asia—represented by the Chintz—which were often misunderstood by European society during Rembrandt’s age.
A Study of Necessity (Satsuma-Buttons and Self-Orientalism)
The evolution of orientalism is an overarching theme for Tezuka’s practice. ‘A Study of Necessity (Satsuma-Buttons and Self-Orientalism)’ uses the weft and the warp to illustrate how the East-West exchange of luxury goods influenced the two hemispheres’ perceptions of and interest in each other, which led to a commercially driven synthesis of styles, often at the expense of cultural identities in the East. By using a technique that can be viewed as both “craft-like” and “decorative” Tezuka challenges prevailing notions in the realm of art, where a hierarchy still exists.
This work has been produced in collaboration with the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI), Kawashima Selkon Textiles, Kyoritsu Women's University Museum, and the Textile Lab.
Dear Oblivion (A study of Empress Haruko)
Tezuka was inspired by the Empress’ dress which she saw at the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI). She wanted to produce a velvet-like fabric. Therefore, the careful selection of proper yarns was of high importance . This piece is also woven on a coloured warp, as her other projects carried out in the TextielLab, however, this piece is not meant for untangling as the other ones.
Aiko Tezuka - Flowery Obscurity (The Night Watch)
In her design, Tezuka took the original Night Watch painting and covered all the dark parts of the painting with the patterns of Chintz fabrics and designs. For the weaving, Tezuka used the coloured warp because after the piece is woven, she unties the weft lets all the coloured warp threads hang loose. Processes of weaving and unweaving function to characterise both the artist‘s trademark aesthetic and her particular thematic preoccupations.
A Study of Necessity (Satsuma-Buttons and Self-Orientalism)
Tezuka visited the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI), which is a 16th and 17th century costumes and fashion archive. There she got inspired by the buttons of all the dresses and costumes. She scanned all the buttons and divided them into two editions - 1) Japanese and 2) European buttons. Later, she translated the motifs of these buttons into a tapestry. In the process, it was important to create very bright colours and highly detailed faces for the motif to stay visible even after untying the warp. Processes of weaving and unweaving function to characterize both the artist‘s trademark aesthetic and her particular thematic preoccupations.
Aiko Tezuka was born in 1976 in Tokyo, and graduated from Musashino Art University with an MA and the Kyoto City University of Arts with a PhD in oil painting. In 2010, after receiving the Goto Commemorative Cultural Award for Emerging Artists, she moved to the UK. Subsequent to that, she relocated to Germany as a recipient of the Emerging Artists Overseas Training Award granted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Since 1997, she has been producing works of art that unravel woven fabric, while referencing and appropriating historically significant objects, artifacts and artworks. Currently, she lives and works in Berlin.
