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Hans & Tokiko Frode

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24 augusti - 20 oktober 2019

h a n s

Frodetokiko ishiguro

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Av Hans Frode

Made in JapanDet är över etthundrafemtio år sedan de första handelsavtalen slöts mellan Japan och Sverige. Att i nutid vandra runt i Kyoto, särskilt stadsdelen Gion kan upplevas som en resa tillbaka till den tiden då avtalen skrevs. Kimonoklädda kvinnor skrider stundtals fram utmed de smala gränderna som är omslutna av traditionella trähus vilkas väggar, som till skydd mot väder och vind, har fått sina ytor svedda. Hängande papperslanternor och av trä snidade skyltar på fasader upplyser om namnen på de Tehus och restauranter som innanför erbjuder det Japanska kökets läckerheter.

De många templen bjuder på andrum i form av öppna parker där körsbärsträden blommar på våren. Kyoto är en templens stad eftersom de olika Buddistiska skolorna här samlats med sina säten. Staden var en gång huvudstad i landet och emedan den politiskt styrande eliten förflyttades till Tokyo, ligger det religiösa centrat fortfarande kvar. Här finns ännu byggnader från 600-talet och framåt eftersom Kyoto aldrig brandbombades likt resten av landets städer under andra världskrigets epok.

Den i Japan, Buddistiskt hållna människosynen har format en miljö där vikten av individuell självkännedom står i centrum. Det är viktigt att inte låta känslorna styra det egna jaget, egot. Man har sina känslor, man är inte sina känslor. Man kommer härigenom till insikt att gruppen är en nyckel till välbefinnande, mår gruppen bra så mår individen bra genom att människan upplever tillhörighet och känner att hon är ¨sedd¨. Det kollektiva ansvaret börjar hos individen och skolan formar tidigt denna insikt. Barnen själva städar t.ex. sin skola och blir mindre benägna att skräpa ner, man skapar på detta sätt tillhörighet med ansvar. Barnen har också sina egna högtidsdagar. Runt femte maj, den s.k. Boys Day spänner man drakar i formen av en karp för vinden. Enligt sägnen så simmar den lilla karpen mot strömmen och växer med motståndet, liksom det lilla barnet växer genom utmaningar och tillslut

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GION / Kyoto. Neon/applikation/foto, 121x88 cm, 2017

blir en fullfjädrad drake. Kampen ger styrka och erfarenhet, motgångarna utvecklar, det är av vikt att inte ge upp för tidigt, att inte identifiera sig med sina känslor av motgång utan att övervinna dessa. Om individen nu inte förstår detta, utan istället ägnar sig åt självömkan, så ses genast detta som ett tecken på en svag självkontakt i tillvaron. Hen uppfattas som inte kunna förvalta sina egna känslor. Självbehärskning uppskattas, premieras och formas genom förebildande beteende i umgänget, där en positiv ansats förväntas.

I Japan finner man idag många s.k. ¨reuse-butiker¨. Där fyndar man produkter för återbruk i ett fantastiskt skick, ofta i originalkartongen. Japanskt lackarbete dyker ibland upp på butikshyllorna och i denna utställning presenteras ett flertal påmålade som med bakom liggande neonljus bildar en corona-effekt.

Arkeologer har funnit att det tillverkades lackarbeten i Kina redan 500b.c. Tekniken spreds till Japan där den alltmer fulländades och 1400-talet brukar kallas ¨The Golden Age of Japanese Lacquer¨. Lacken kommer av saven från urushino-ki trädet, Rhus vernicifera. Saven värms, silas och kan infärgas med bl.a. oxider eller järnvitriol. Jämna, tunna lager stryks och får torka emellan i en dammfri och fuktig miljö där de också mörknar. Lacken som härdar bäst i en fuktig atmosfär slipas med kol från magnoliaträdet och fler lager stryks. Ett välgjort lackarbete kan ha upp till trettio lager av lack.

Kimonobältet, Obi har alltid varit en del av klädet, ordet obi kommer från obu och betyder att bära kläde. För omkring 400 år sedan blev dessa bälten allt bredare och utsökt broderade genom att männen som spelade feminina roller i Kabuki teater ville betona kvinnlighet i dräkten. Modet spreds och sedan dess har Obi utvecklats till dagens broderade dekorativa konstverk. Ogifta kvinnor brukade knyta bältet fram och de gifta på ryggen. Under Meji perioden (1868-1912) så standardiserades knuten till ryggen, det finns ett tjugotal varianter på knuten. Varje tillverkat Obi har sin egen individuella historia och ett tränat öga kan även se vilken region det mynnar från. Installationen i Konsthallen Hishult påminner oss om att vi alla är unika, vackra individer som tillsammans skapar en större, kraftfullare enhet.

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Att bli en drake. Neon/applikation/foto, 67x99 cm, 2017 Sunny-Side up. Neon & applikation, 55x45 cm, 2019

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Bordet. Neon & applikation, 63x37 cm, 2019Kannan. Neon & applikation, 55x45 cm, 2019

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Lunch Setto. Neon & applikation, 55x45 cm, 2019 Mellanmål. Neon & applikation, 63x37 cm, 2019

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By Hans Frode

Made in JapanIt is over one hundred and fifty years ago since the first trade agreements were arranged between Japan and Sweden. To walk around today in Kyoto, especially in the Gion district, can be experienced as a journey back to the time the agreement was written. Kimono-clad women suddenly can be seen walking along the narrow alleys surrounded by traditional wooden houses whose walls, as weather and wind protection, have had their surfaces torched. Hanging paper lanterns and wood-carved signs on the facades inform about the names of the Teahouses and restaurants inside, offering the delicious Japanese cuisine.The many temples provide open spaces in the form of parks where the cherry trees blossom in spring. Kyoto is a city of temples because the various Buddhist schools have their centers here. The city was once the capital of the country and while the political ruling elite moved on to Tokyo, the religious centers remain. There are still buildings from the 7th century and onwards because Kyoto was never bombarded like the rest of the country’s cities during the epoch of the Second World War.

The Buddhist-minded view in Japan has shaped an environment in which the importance of individual self-awareness is at heart. It is important not to let your feelings control your own self-esteem. You have your feelings, you are not your feelings. This way it soon becomes clear that the group is a key to well-being. If the group is well, the individual feels well by the fact that one experiences belonging and feels as being seen. The collective responsibility begins with the individual, and the school forms this insight early on. The children themselves clean for example their own schools and become less prone to littering, creating in this way a feeling of belonging with responsibility.

The children also have their own holidays, around the fifth of May, on the so-called Boys Day, kites in the shape of carp span for the wind. According to the saying, the little carp swims against the current and grows with the resistance, as the little child grows through challenges and becomes a full-fledged dragon.

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The struggle gives strength and experience, when the adversities develop, it is important not to give up too early, not to identify with the feelings of adversity without overcoming them. If an individual doesn’t understand this, and instead indulge in self-pity, this is immediately seen as a weak self-contact. The child appears not being able to control his own feelings. Self-control is awarded, appreciated and shaped through raw model behavior in the community, where a positive approach is expected. In Japan today you can find many Reuse stores. Here you find products for recycling in a fantastic condition, often in the original carton. Japanese lacquer work sometimes appears on the shelves, and in this exhibition there are several painted lacquer panels, with the backing of neon lights, which form a corona effect. Archaeologists have found that lacquer work in China was already made in 500b.c. The technology spread to Japan where it was increasingly perfected and the 14th century is commonly known as the Golden Age of Japanese Lacquer. The lacquer comes from the sap from the urushino-ki tree, Rhus vernicifera. The sap is heated, strained and can be added oxides or iron vitriol. Smooth, thin layers are brushed on and dried in a dust-free and humid environment where they also darken. The lacquer, which cures best in a damp atmosphere is ground with carbon from the magnolia tree and more layers are applied. A good quality lacquer work can have up to thirty layers of lacquer.

The Kimono belt, Obi has always been a part of the apparel, the word obi comes from obu and means wearing clothes. About 400 years ago, these sashes became wider and exquisitely embroidered by the men who played feminine roles in Kabuki theater to emphasize femininity in the costume. The fashion spread and since then, Obi has evolved into today’s embroidered decorative artwork. Unmarried women used to tie the belt in front and when they got married on their backs. During Meji period (1868-1912), the knot was standardized to the back, there are about twenty variants on the knot.Each manufactured Obi has its own individual history and a trained eye can also see which region it originates from.

The installation in Konsthallen Hishult wants to remind us that we are all unique, beautiful individuals, and together we create a larger, more powerful, collective unity. YOMI no KUNI / The Other World. Neon & applikation, 89x76 cm, 2017

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Var ska jag sitta? Neon & applikation, 60x80 cm, 2019 My Secret Garden. Neon & applikation, 54x45 cm, 2019

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By Tokiko Ishiguro Frode

OrigamismThere is a word in Japanese: Kokoro, which means heart, mind and spirit as one thing. We use it frequently in daily conversation, such as ”putting kokoro in”, ”reflecting kokoro”, ”cleansing one’s kokoro”, and so on. I have been brought up in a culture which focuses profoundly on living with ”kokoro” as the center of our life. It naturally becomes a habit to think about ”putting my kokoro” into every moment of cutting vegetables, composing a letter or any act of creation.

Since I left Japan more than twenty years ago, my journey has encountered unexpected hardship, failure, and setbacks that were at times difficult to overcome. I have struggled through identity crises due to social expectations, misunderstanding arising from disparate cultures, and beliefs and expressions outside the comfortable and familiar circle of a small country. I have searched for the answer to who I truly am by working with different places, people, ideas and medium. However, surprisingly I have always found my sense of security, peace, and serenity through folding papers, especially in the art form of origami.

Origami brings forth warm memories of my early childhood, in the loving embrace of my grandparents’ calm existence, full of curiosity and excitement, folding papers into three dimensional objects. I began origami when I was four years old as a small activity of everyday pleasure, and it has become my lifetime passion.

The turning point of my artistic desire occurred when I became a mother, fourteen years ago. I began to think seriously about how to make myself a better person who must relate to my daughter as a guide for life. Negative thoughts and feelings can cause negativity in our relationship and negative phenomena, and I wished to free myself from such harmful influences. So why not keep myself up with positive thoughts and energy?

Origami is truly suited to fill my busy in-between time with warmth and tranquility, strongly connecting to the happiest time of my childhood, and – like meditation – focusing on the light of positive thought and fulfilling my creative desire.

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Samtliga verk på sidorna 24-30 är collage med Origami av återvunnet papper, individuellt färgade med akrylfärg. ThePrayer, #350-352. 55x38 cm, 2018

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Roses“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, wrote William Shakespeare.The rose is one of the most beloved and inspirational flower all over the world and used as a symbol of conveyed message without words.Each color offers certain meaning like: red - love and passion, pink - admiration and gratitude, orange - desire and enthusiasm, yellow - friendship and joy, white - purity and innocence, purple - enchantment, and love at the first sight, blue - the desire for the unattainable.During summer time, there are so many breathtakingly beautiful roses all over, which provide me pleasure and healing to look at, and allow me to imagine the life stories and joy of people who take care of them.

CraneIn Japan, the origami crane is the most traditional and known motif. The bird is a symbol of long life, prosperity, and peace, as well as the love of parents toward their children. Many people fold a thousand cranes as a prayer or gesture of sympathy or sorrow. That is why you can see the threaded cranes in Hiroshima Peace Park, the location of fatal accidents, hospitals, and so on.“The Prayer” series of my origami crane work is an extension of my meditation, prayer, self-suggestion to teach myself to be as a stable person as possible according to my ideal self-image. It is also a reflection of my wish and hope to our children to be happy beings and for this world to be a better place for our children to live in.I believe that objects contain the energy of their creator, and therefore, I wish to transmit the good energy of my ”kokoro” through only positive thoughts. Each bird embodies my wish to be a better person with inner peace, and in search of meeting with my higher self, throughout my creation time.

I also hope the cranes welcome you to participate in my prayer. It would be a great joy for me if you can experience my journey of looking for inner light in daily life. ThePrayer, #344. 68x61 cm, 2019

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Katalog #149 i en löpande serie utgiven till varje utställning sedan starten 1994 Form – KÅ Gustafsson • Texter och foto av Hans Frode och Tokiko Ishiguro Frode

Upplaga – 1.700 ex • © Konstnärer och Konsthallen Hishult, 2019 Markarydsvägen 10, se-312 53 Hishult, Sweden • +46-(0)430-40321

www.hishult.com / konsthallen@hishult.com • ISBN 978-91-88875-01-3

Öppet: September-april: Onsdag-fredag 12-16.00, lördag-söndag 12-17.00Maj-Augusti: Tisdag-söndag 12-17.00

ThePrayer, #303. 95x60 cm, 2018

Hans FrodeFödd 1951. Sedan 1981 verksam i New York, sommartid på Öland och vintermånader i Mexico.Medverkade vid ankomsten till N.Y.C, med uppbyggandet av NYEGW, The Experimental Glassworkshop sedermera Urban Glass. Blåser sina egna neonrör på Precision Neon i Brooklyn, med vilka han belyser antikt ramade, målade planglasskivor från insidan. Motiven är ofta stilleben med därtill adderade glasapplikationer i relief på glasskivor. Dessa volymetriska former, plus ljuset från neonröret aktiverar den tvådimensionella ytan med ramen och utvidgar omfånget av konstverket till skulpturens område.Representerad på ett flertal museum och institutioner.

www.hansfrode.com

Tokiko Ishiguro FrodeFödd 1974 i Kanazawa och uppvuxen i Osaka. Utbildad på Kanazawa International Design Institute i Japan och Parsons School of Design, New York.Började sin konstnärliga bana med att blåsa glas och använda sig av lampworking teknik på glasverkstadenUrban Glass i Brooklyn, N.Y.Har tillbringat över 20 år utanför Japan, mestadels i New York och med sommarvistelse på Öland.Designar och tillverkar också smyckeni silver, pärlor och halvädelstenar.Även verksam som Clinical Hypnotist. Organiserar och undervisar i origami workshops.

www.tokikofrode.com

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#149 • 24 augusti - 20 oktober 2019 www.hishult.com