ARKO
Straw worker
Tokyo, Japan
Bundles of meaning
- ARKO creates large-scale wall hanging sculptures from straw
- Through her craft she explores themes of mass-production, waste and natural cycles
- Her background in drawing informs her creative process with straw
ARKO initially began her practice as a drawing artist, and gradually explored a wide range of artistic expressions and materials before discovering straw. "Straw is a material deeply rooted in Japanese culture and everyday life," she explains. Entirely self-taught, ARKO established her current style of creation in 2015. While straw has traditionally been used through weaving, she instead stitches strands and bundles onto canvas. Having long worked with canvas for her painted works, this process allows her to approach straw as if sketching with hand drawn lines and applying colour with a brush. Her works are designed as wall-hanging sculptures rather than functional objects. “It is my artistic statement to use straw,” ARKO says, "to spark discussions on contemporary society where artificial materials are mass-produced to be, eventually, mass-discarded."
INTERVIEW
It was important to me that straw is an accessible material, one that does not require a creative search of its own. So closely tied to everyday life, it serves as a reminder, especially within contemporary society, of the laws of nature and the magic of life.
Straw is a byproduct of one of Japan’s most essential foods, and I deeply respect the history and memory it carries as a traditional material. At the same time, the methods I employ are entirely my own and rooted in a contemporary approach. This is how I seek to express both tradition and innovation.
I like to refresh my mind by doing activities that are completely different from my artistic practice, such as playing the piano or ukulele. I also enjoy creating dioramas for Sylvanian Families miniature dolls. That world of miniatures has inspired me to one day create a work on a much smaller scale.
I would encourage them to cultivate their own path, rather than following someone else’s. My craft is not rooted in tradition, instead each piece is an accumulation of my past practices. Each one captures where I am at in the moment. I feel it is not something to pass on to someone.
ARKO
Straw worker
Tokyo, Japan
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Tokyo, Japan
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Japanese, English
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