- Ikemura's works in dialog with the architecture of Santiago
Calatrava. The first exhibition of work by this renowned Japanese-Swiss
artist in Spain - A comprehensive overview of Ikemura's multifaceted
visual universe Renowned Japanese-Swiss artist Leiko Ikemura's
multifaceted oeuvre comprises paintings, watercolors, drawings, as well
as terra-cotta and bronze sculptures. She has created a diverse cultural
universe that acts as an intermediary between Western and Asian culture.
Ikemura is known, above all, for her sculptural works. Her hybrid
creatures, seemingly archaic, oscillate between human, animal and plant
like shapes. Sometimes childlike or feminine in appearance, the figures
and their peculiar physiognomy evoke moments of calm reflection and deep
emotion; at times they gesture towards vulnerability and pain, at others
they symbolize bliss and dreaminess. This title introduces Ikemura's
most recent installation: six sculptures displayed in the open air at
Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences, an ensemble of buildings and
parkland designed by Santiago Calatrava. Large-format photographs bear
witness to the unreal, almost dreamlike dialogue between the sculptures
and Calavatra's iconic architecture, while the inclusion of works
unrelated to this project offers a comprehensive introduction to
Ikemura's unique visual universe. Text in English, German and Spanish.
