Kasetsu
Calligraphy
KASETSU
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1975. Lives in Tokyo. Graduated from Ritsumeikan University, Department of Philosophy, Psychology major.
She has been holding solo exhibitions focusing on single-character calligraphy since 1992. When he started learning calligraphy as a child, she encountered a Chinese-Japanese dictionary created by East Asian character culture researcher Shirakawa Shizuka, and became interested in the origin and formation of Chinese characters. She was also greatly influenced by the avant-garde calligraphy that emerged in Japan after World War II, which was formed through interaction with Abstract Expressionism.
While deepening her consideration of pictographs, the original form of Chinese characters that are said to have been created about 3,300 years ago, Kasetsu continues to produce works that look at the timeless essence of human beings and question the nature of language, one of the major elements that shape human society.
These works are expressed with various materials according to the theme, and attempt to fuse calligraphy and art, including exhibitions in various forms and methods. In parallel with his production, he also holds ongoing workshops on writing single-character Chinese characters with people living in various social environments. In the workshop, by listening to the participants' thoughts about the act of writing and the kanji characters, we strive to create a place where participants can share the meaning of humans writing words and what this act affects humans.
In today's society, where diversity is made visible by globalization and technology develops, but at the same time, resistance and uncertainty increase, Kasetsu uses the expression of writing to explore the ever-changing relationship between words and humans, and poses questions to people.
CV
Exhibition
2012 "Water and Earth Art Festival" (Northern Culture Museum Annex, Niigata)
2015 "Takahashi Ryutaro Collection Exhibition - Messages" (Towada Art Center, Aomori)
2016 "Yamagata Biennale" (Tohoku University of Art and Design/Former Nishimura Photo Studio, Yamagata)
2018 "Tree of Life" (Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka)
2018 "Kasetsu in Conversation with Rosetsu" (Museum Rietberg, Zurich)
2021 "The Shape of Words, The Words of Shape" (Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Yokohama)
2021 "ASIA NOW" (Galerie ANTHOLOGIE, Paris)
2022 "Flower of Life" (Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka)
2023 "Takahashi Ryutaro Collection Exhibition - ART de Cha Cha Cha" (WHAT MUSEUM, Tokyo)
2024 "Takahashi Ryutaro Collection Exhibition - Canvas Companions" (Yamagata Museum of Art, Yamagata)
In the same year, he was featured in the "Takahashi Ryutaro Collection Exhibition - A Personal View of Japanese Contemporary Art" (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo), among others.
His publications include "Still Life - Seal Carving Notes" (2001, Heibonsha), "Playing with Stones" (2003, Heibonsha), "The Pillow and the Lighthouse" (2003, Seibundo Shinkosha), a special supplement to the magazine "Idea", "The Home of Calligraphy" (2006, Akaaka Art Publishing), and "ATO Traces" (Between the Books, 2009). In 2015 and 2019, his essays were included in "Best Essays" (Mitsumura Tosho).
He has also written the titles of many books, including "Collection: War and Literature" (Shueisha) and "The Battle of the Trees" (Ecrits).