Perfect Imperfection / Kitayama Eita's Works

I sometimes wonder why so many artists now draw on the idea of imperfection to define their work, very often linking it to the 'Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi’. Actually, this concept is sweeping across the craft world globally, with Japan probably the only exception. Is that because there is still such momentum towards perfection that the artists find it novel to embrace imperfection? What is the border between imperfection and deviation from certain styles? It is a convenient yet tricky word to use.

Naturally, imperfection is defined by its distance from perfection. Kitayama Eita’s perfectionism is always clear and that is where his imperfection speaks out its story.

Imperfection can be emphasized when it is beautifully presented. Perhaps many people would agree that it only has value when it adds a certain beauty or awareness to an otherwise perfect version of the same object.

The oval platter in the photo has a small crack that is reinforced with golden brass staples. How did this crack manage to appear in the ‘perfect’ part of this piece, I wonder.

Fake, Copy and "Cover" in Craft

Kitayama, a Japanese wood artist, draws on vintage French flatware that he has been collecting for years. What does that mean?

You could call it copying, but it is certainly not fake as it is obviously made out of different materials from the pewter of the originals - transforming them into something else, with an added aesthetic quality.

Before the modern times, copying great pieces of the past came naturally to artists, probably worldwide. Copying is still widely practised in Japanese art (typically for tea ceremony ware), and in a certain context it is recognized as an established approach. It even has a technical term “utsushi” (copying/transferring) and expands from poetry to architecture, almost every artistic genre in Japan.

Utsushi pieces can be viewed with more severe eyes because the original is set as a reference point. A perfect copy does not make a good utsushi. The question is, what was intended through copying; what was added or altered; and, most importantly, if it was done successfully. It requires artists to adopt a serious concept and work through a conversation with the past, while retaining great respect for the original. In that sense, utsushi looks more like a "cover" version than a copy, where the original is treated like a motif rather than an object to copy.

These days, pewter ware is not so popular even in its European homeland, except for limited demand for antiques. But thousands of miles away, I know many talented artists are "covering" them, in a contemporary context and in unexpected ways.