Toshiko Watanabe

She is a contemporary artist.

Her recent art style is mainly installation works hanging inside and outside. Her main techniques are papermaking and dying.

The place where to install is very important for her. When installing, she pays attention if there are good dialogues exchanged between the artwork and the space.

She was born in Japan. During her young days she spent her life going back and forth between Japan and foreign countries with her family.

From the beginning of her art activity, she was concerned to nature. At that time, she took a method: working outside, dripping paints with big brush on big paper, seeking a way an essence of nature appeared on her work.

Now her style of expression became completely different from the beginning, but she is continuously concerned to nature by the means of using natural materials, and her thoughts on nature.

Homepage: https://toshiko-watanabe.com

Message from Faraway 2024 - Traces (NAT Art Residence - 10/2024)

The “traces” are the “traces” of our ancestors’ footprints, who lived in the caves long time ago.

They lived here, we now live here.

I imagine how hard it was for our ancestors to live on, but nevertheless they could live on since there were pleasure and hope for them, I believe.

At Tagle beach, I installed cylinder shaped objects and balls as footprints.

Here are the “traces”-coming from the past, continuing to the future;

Rough twigs, carried by the waves

white waves, coming and drawing

the sky, high and clear

Material: cylinder: mulberry, wire - ball: sisal dyed with natural dye, linen cloth, small stones