Sparks
In the art of Kintsugi, broken pottery is meticulously repaired with lacquer infused with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Rather than concealing damage, this ancient Japanese practice honors fracture as part of an object’s history, transforming rupture into refinement and loss into presence. Through restoration, a new perception and layer of meaning emerges.
My work Sparks translates this philosophy into an urban context. The works are casts of cracks found in buildings andstreets in Tokyo — fractures shaped by time, pressure, and natural forces such as earthquakes. Removed from their original surface, these fragile impressions are gilded with 24-karat gold, elevating accidental rupture into sculptural form.
Based on the photographic series Cracks, Sparks extends the investigation from image to object. Each piece is named after a Greek deity, positioning the fracture not as damage, but as a charged and mythic trace.
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The north wind, embodied by Boreas, is one of the Anemoi in Greek mythology. Fierce and unrelenting, he descends from the mountains with icy breath an storming force, symbolizing raw power, winter’s severity, and the invisible momentum that reshapes landscapes and destinies alike.
„Persephone“ Sparks-series 24-carat gilded concrete, 5.5 in. × 1.3 in. × 0.5 in., Unique, Tokyo. 2025
The reed pipe, known as the syrinx, is one of the attributes of Pan, the rustic god of wilderness and shepherds in Greek mythology
Formed from river reeds transformed through longing and metamorphosis it symbolizes untamed nature, instinct, and the raw,echoing breath of the landscape itself.
„Petasos“ Sparks-series 24-carat gilded concrete, 3.5 in. × 1.3 in. × 0.4 in., Unique, Tokyo. 2025
The winged hat, called the petasos (Greek: πέτασος), is one of the attributes of Hermes, the messenger god in Greek mythology. Originally a wide-brimmed traveler's hat, it was later depicte with wings to symbolize speed, mobility, and the divine ability to move freely between worlds.