[From July Issue 2012]
HONBORI Yuji
This artist makes Buddhist images out of discarded corrugated cardboard. HONBORI Yuji who lives in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, studied sculpture at Aichi Prefectural University of Arts and, after completing graduate school, has been constructing works made out of junk and construction waste. “The Great Hanshin Earthquake completely destroyed my house and when I saw the damage to the surrounding area, I was completely shocked. Since then I’ve felt some reluctance about using fresh timber as a raw material.”
Moving to a new location, he spent days searching for the right material, experimenting with soil, wood chips, and so forth. “On one occasion I made a sculpture of a likeness of a zushi (miniature shrine to display Buddhist images) with scrap wood taken from an old shrine. The shape of the left over wood unexpectedly resembled a Buddhist statue. This incident was the impetus for me to create my first work by dissolving a milk carton in water and pouring it into a plaster mold to make a Buddhist statue. After that, I finally hit on the idea of using discarded corrugated cardboard as a material,” says Honbori.
It takes about a month and a half to make a 160 centimeter Buddhist image. One characteristic of these works is that, from the side, you can see colored text printed onto the corrugated cardboard, which has been intentionally left that way. And from the front, through undulating spaces in the cardboard, you can see right through to the back. A circle has been created in the center of the Buddha; a void made from poured concrete. This resembles a tainaibutsu (a small Buddhist statue placed within a larger one), a devotional kind of statue that dates from the Heian period.
“It would make me happy if people want to see traditional Japanese Buddhist statues after viewing mine. I make statues based on my own mental image, but I have difficulty walking that fine line of creating a form that is just about recognizable. But that is also why the production process is enjoyable,” Honbori says.
In March this year, his works were exhibited at ART FAIR TOKYO for the second time. They were displayed in the same space along with joumon doki (straw rope-patterned ancient Japanese pottery) and ancient Buddhist statues. This juxtaposition attracted a great deal of attention. “I used the eleven-faced Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) of Shorinji Temple in Nara as the model for my work. Although these are modern art works made of corrugated cardboard, I realized that their charm could be seen in a new light if they were exhibited with art works from antiquity that were of national treasure quality,” Honbori says. In May, he also participated in the Hong Kong International Art Fair, the biggest Art Exhibition in Asia.
“When I see people putting their palms together in prayer in front of my work, I realize that because I’m making an image of Buddha, I can’t create half-hearted works. With a playful heart, I want to continue making pop art,” says Honbori, who continues to challenge audiences with his works.
Text: KAWARATANI Tokiko
[2012年7月号掲載記事]
本堀雄二さん
捨てられた使用済みのダンボールを素材に、仏像を作るアーティストがいます。兵庫県神戸市に住む本堀雄二さんは、愛知県立芸術大学で彫刻を学び、大学院を卒業後は廃品や建築廃材を使った作品作りを発表していました。「阪神大震災で自宅が全壊して、周囲の被害の状況を見て大きなショックを受けました。それ以来、素材として木材を使うことに抵抗を感じるようになったのです」と本堀さんは話します。
移転した土地では土を使ったり木くずを利用したりと素材探しの日々が続きました。「あるとき、神社の廃材で厨子(仏像を安置する仏具)をイメージした作品を作ったときに、最後に残った部分が、その偶然できた形に仏像の姿を感じました。この出来事がきっかけで、牛乳パックを溶かしたものを石こうの型に流し込んで、一体の仏像を仕上げたのが最初です。その後、使用済みのダンボールを使うことにたどり着きました」と本堀さんは続けます。
160センチの仏像1体に、約1ヵ月半の制作日数がかかります。横側からは、あえて残しているダンボールの色の文字が見え、真正面からはダンボールの断面にある波状の空洞により、背後が透けて見えるのが特徴です。仏像の中央には、コンクリートを流し込む建築材料のボイドを使った輪が入っています。平安時代から仏像のなかに納められているとされる「胎内仏(仏像の胎内に納められている小仏像)」をイメージしています。
「日本に古くからある仏像を見たいと思ってもらえたら嬉しいですね。自分のなかでイメージした仏像を元に作りますが、これ以上つきつめたら形がわからなくなるというぎりぎりのラインを生み出すのが、毎回難しいです。そこがまた楽しみでもありますね」と本堀さん。
今年の3月には日本最大の美術の展示会、アートフェア東京に2回目の出展をしました。縄文土器や古来の仏像と同じスペースで展示され、そのコラボレーションが大きな注目を集めました。「奈良にある聖林寺の十一面観音をモデルにしました。素材がダンボールの現代美術ですが、国宝級の古い美術品と一緒に展示できるのが、この作品の魅力だと再認識しましたね」と本堀さんは話します。5月にはアジア最大の美術の展示会、香港アートフェアにも出展しました。
「作品に手を合わせてくれる人を見ると、仏像を作っているのだからいい加減な作品作りはできないなと思います。遊び心も大事にして、ポップな作品を作り続けたいですね」。本堀さんの作品への挑戦は続きます。
文:瓦谷登貴子
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