The Work of Art

The Presenters: International Arts & Artists

The Exhibition

Washi Transformed presents over thirty-five highly textured two-dimensional works, expressive sculptures, and dramatic installations that explore the astonishing potential of this traditional medium. In this exhibition, nine Japanese artists embrace the seemingly infinite possibilities of washi, underscoring the unique stature this ancient art form has earned in the realm of international contemporary art. The breathtaking creativity of these artistic visionaries deepens our understanding of how the past informs the present, and how it can build lasting cultural bridges out of something as seemingly simple and ephemeral as paper.

Washi Transformed features work by nine contemporary Japanese artists: Hina Aoyama, Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe, Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka, and Ayomi Yoshida.

The Schedule

Organized by Meher McArthur and International Arts & Artists, the exhibition will run for 12 weeks from October 4th, 2025 - January 11th, 2026 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Eriko Horiki, Group of Ishi (Stone) Light Objects, 2017, Washi and resin mold, light fixture (steel), Courtesy of the artist and Eriko Horiki and Associates

Eriko Horiki, Small and Large Tane (Seed) Light Objects, 2017, Washi and resin mold, light fixture (steel), Courtesy of the artist and Eriko Horiki and Associates

Takaaki Tanaka, Land of Nest, 2019, Kozo (mulberry fiber paper), flax, iron, Courtesy of the artist

Takaaki Tanaka, Boat Island, 2018, Kozo mulberry fiber paper, flax, iron, Courtesy of the artist

Kakuko Ishii, Japanese Paper Strings (3), Washi paper, Courtesy of the artist

Kakuko Ishii, Japanese Paper Strings (1), Washi paper and pigment, Courtesy of the artist

Hina Aoyama, Voltaire, 2007, Black origami paper, Courtesy of the artist

Hina Aoyama, Les Papillon, 2010, Black origami paper, Courtesy of the artist

Kyoko Ibe, Morning Glory, 2009, Pair of 6-panel folding screens, old gampi paper, indigo, old documents, sumi ink, mica, Courtesy of Erik Thomsen Gallery in New York

Kyoko Ibe, Once Upon a Time #1, 2011, Washi, Courtesy of Heather James in Palm Desert, CA

Yoshio Ikezaki, The Earth Breathes Mind Landscape 06, 2008, Handmade mulberry paper with charcoal powder, Courtesy of the artist and Kylin Gallery

Yoshio Ikezaki, Timeless Auras 615, 2006, Sumi ink on washi, Courtesy of the artist and Kylin Gallery

Yuko Nishimura, Sparkle/Shine, 2008, Washi (kyokushi), Courtesy of the artist

Yuko Nishimura, Untitled, 2019, Washi (kyokushi), Courtesy of the artist

Yuko Kimura, Indigo Mushikui, 2019, Etching, monotype, aquatint, indigo pigment on antique bookpages from Japan, thread, Courtesy of the artist

Yuko Kimura, Rain Drops, 2019, Etching, indigo dye on kozo handmade paper, Courtesy of the artist

Yuko Kimura, Blue Field, 2019, Etching on kozo handmade paper, antique bookpages from Japan, Courtesy of the artist

Ayomi Yoshida, Tree M, 2012, Woodblock print on paper, Courtesy of the artist

Ayomi Yoshida, Water 107, 2012, Woodblock print on paper, Courtesy of the artist

The Presenters: International Arts & Artists

International Arts & Artists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally through exhibitions, programs, and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public. IA&A fulfills its mission by providing programs and services to artists, art institutions, and cultural organizations through its four core services: Traveling Exhibitions, Cultural Exchange Programs, the Design Studio, and IA&A at Hillyer, its contemporary arts center in Washington, DC.

IA&A’s Traveling Exhibition Service develops and circulates visual arts exhibitions designed for both large and small museums and other cultural institutions in the US and abroad. Since 1995, IA&A has coordinated more than 800 exhibition presentations at nearly 500 museums and cultural institutions in all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Its Traveling Exhibition Service partners with a wide range of lenders to design exhibitions to foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding beyond geographical divides.

IA&A is proud to collaborate for a fourth time with Los Angeles-based historian of Japanese art Meher McArthur, curator of successful IA&A traveling exhibitions Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami (2012-2016) and Above the Fold: New Expressions in Contemporary Origami Art (2015-2020); and co-curator of Nature, Tradition and Innovation: Japanese Ceramics from the Gordon Brodfuehrer Collection (2016-2019).

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