Profile: Kingetsu Ishii (石井 琴月)
While practising calligraphy as a teacher in her 20s, Japanese artist Kingetsu Ishii became fascinated with the beauty, shape and meaning of the Kanji characters. Each seemed to inhabit their own world, which, when explored, posed the opportunity to remind us of things we have long forgotten. Ishii began to explore the animate qualities of the characters in her artwork while also undergoing daily qigong training - an ancient Chinese practice that combines slow physical movements with meditation and controlled breathing. All living things are connected, she came to realise, and it is this connection, between the physical and spiritual worlds, that Ishii draws on while “playing" in her world of letters. Ishii hopes to encourage people to explore this relationship through her artwork, while also teaching people about the mysteries and pleasures of ancient writing.
Ishii lives in Miyazaki in southwestern Japan where she works as a calligraphy teacher. Her award-winning work has been exhibited throughout her home prefecture, in Tokyo, New York and Paris.
Artist Declaration
I entered the world of calligraphy because of my appreciation for the beautiful forms of ancient scripts that kanji (Chinese characters) evolved from; nevertheless, I became deeply interested in the ancient scripts themselves – I completely fell into their history. I feels as though the ancient scripts are talking to me, sharing the ancient world when they existed.
I strongly feel that the meaning of the ancient scripts and the way it had been developed provided me with a trigger to recall something significant that we, as people, had forgotten.
I am starting to sense the energy of the universe and the flow of qi within my body, and I am starting feeling the connection between the spirit world and this world.
I express the perspective of the world with such a reality and simplicity as if everything is a divine child, with the quote by Lao-Tze – “all living creatures are connected and everything is inevitable.” It is enjoyable to play in a world of characters while I am thinking of the spirit world of ancient people.
In addition, while I am recalling something important with my body, the things I have forgotten, I realize that from Goethe, Lao-Tze, Kukai, Buddha to Neale Donald Walsch, what they were/are intending to express is connected. I create my artwork in order to make everyone realize that everything is connected as well. I would like to convey my feelings that I feel from the bottom of my heart during the calligraphy creation.
With my heart, keep practicing more and more from now on, I would like to introduce the enjoyment of mysterious, ancient Asian scripts.
Experiences and Achievements
Born in September 1950.
In 1970, Opened her own calligraphy school (Became a secretary of Mainichi Shodo Exhibition and Yomiuri Shoho Exhibition, and was designated as a judge of Grade II of Nihon Shogeiin (Japan Calligraphic Art Society) Exhibition).
In October 1999, Won a prize at Nitten (Japanese most famous public interest corporation of Japan Fine Arts) Exhibition for the first time.
In October 2006, After winning her 5th time prize at Nitten, she started to hold solo exhibitions.
In March 2007, Solo exhibition at Gallery I (the pronunciation is "a-i"), Takanabe, Miyazaki.
In May 2007, Keyaki Solo Exhibition in Aoyama, Tokyo.
In April 2008, Solo exhibition at Miyanichi Kaikan, Miyazaki City.
In November 2008, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo.
In March 2009, Solo exhibition at Miyanichi Kaikan, Miyazaki City.
In July 2009, Solo exhibition at Gallery I, Takanabe, Miyazaki.
In September 2009, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo. [Collaboration with Shinobue flute]
In May 2010, Solo exhibition at Miyanichi Kaikan, Miyazaki City.
In December 2010, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo.
In March 2011, Solo exhibition at Miyanichi Kaikan, Miyazaki City.
In April 2011, Solo exhibition at Florante Miyazaki, Miyazaki City.
In October 2011, [Artwork exhibition in collaboration with Sheng (笙: Shinto flute)] in Sheraton Hotel, Miyazaki City.
In December 2011, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo.
In 2011, "Art-Zen" Catalog Exhibition in Basel, Switzerland.
In May 2012, Solo exhibition at "Espace Japon" (Espace culturel franco-japonais: Japanese Culture Center) in France.
In September 2012, Themed exhibition at Takanabe Museum of Art, Miyazaki.
In September 2012, Artwork (tapestry) offered to Sheraton Hotel, Miyazaki City.
In May 2014, Solo exhibition at Florante Miyazaki, Miyazaki City.
In March 2015, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo.
In March 2017, Solo exhibition at Civic Center, Tokyo.
In May 2017, Solo exhibition at ArtSpace Iro-Sora, Miyazaki City.
In November 2018, Participated in Group Exhibition at Agora Gallery, New York.
In April 2019, Exhibited at ArtExpo New York.
In April 2019, Solo exhibition at Japan Information Center Gallery, Consulate General of Japan in New York.
Press Release for Artexpo New York 2019
Japanese artist Kingetsu Ishii draws on the power of ancient Chinese scripts. These scripts take on a new meaning as we discover them contemporaneously. At once abstract and figure-like, every mark seems to have a life of its own, hinting at the mysteries of the ancient world from which they came. Working in ink on paper, Ishii feels the flow of qi within her body as she crafts each piece, forging a connection to the spirit world. In Rice Species (Accomplishment), what looks like a small amphibian droops his head. In Shaman, a bird seems to fly straight up into the sky. Ishii adds context to each piece, reminding us of what these symbols used to represent. Ishii started exploring this connection to the ancient world through her daily qigong training, an ancient Chinese practice with slow physical movements, meditation and controlled breathing. Letting the cosmic air flow through her body, the artist gives us the chance to learn about a world that no longer exists. Kingetsu Ishii currently lives in southwestern Japan where she works as a calligraphy teacher.
Biography
In her rhythmic calligraphy paintings, artist Kingetsu Ishii captures the formal beauty of ancient Japanese characters. These spare, streamlined ink on paper drawings feature a variety of large and expressive marks that are often accompanied by small, intricate, red seals. The natural toned paper and fluid, black ink create a dynamic tension between negative and positive space in these works that are simultaneously decorative, personal, and sacred.
Ishii's bold, gestural compositions are reflective of her own personality. Indeed, in East Asian cultures, one's handwriting is considered indicative of their level of education, cultural refinement, and aesthetic sensibilities. The artist manipulates the form of the characters through speed and pressure, the overall appearance of the symbols conveying the artist's state of mind.
Historically, calligraphy writing was an art form elevated above all others in East Asia. The status of the artist was reified by the power of the written word, and the formal properties of characters were considered an exemplar of the kinesthetic energy of the human body and the vitality of nature. Evaluated on balance, proportion, and rhythm, each mark is a careful combination of control and dynamism.
Ishii's brush writing surpasses the Western notion of calligraphy, a word derived from Greek meaning "beautiful handwriting/' Instead, these characters, painted with soft, animal-hair brushes, are completely distinctive and meant to embody beauty, even above legibility. An ancient practice communicating the status and learnedness of the writer, the East Asian calligraphic tradition is utilized by the artist as a way to fuse past and present, cosmic and worldly. The expressive and gestural strokes are a means to consider the connectedness of all creatures across time and space, a way to expand one's worldview and link the mind and body.
Contact: misakyou@icloud.com