MACC presents Paths of Ink art exhibit through Dec. 28

A new exhibit will be on display at the Schaefer International Gallery from Nov. 12 through Dec. 28, 2024. An activation event to christen the exhibit will be held on Thursday, Nov. 7, prior to opening to the public.

Paths of Ink is an international invitational exhibition featuring eight artists from Japan and Korea who pursue innovative new movements in calligraphy, amplifying age-old traditions into a contemporary dialogue.

“While the art form of calligraphy has traditionally derived from written language, each artist in this exhibition imbues meaning into their work in different ways, whether through the embodiment of stylized characters or through action-focused strokes,” said Gallery Director Jonathan Yukio Clark, who curated the exhibition. “They often break the mold by integrating unexpected materials, abstracting depicted characters, or expanding into dimensional installation, while remaining true to the central concept of the brushstroke’s innate potential to channel the artist’s movements in both spontaneous and calculated intent.”

Throughout Japan and Korea, calligraphy traces its origins to the introduction of the Chinese character-based writing system, which was adapted to the respective regions’ spoken languages and evolved alongside Kana, the Japanese phonetic writing system, and Hangul, the Korean writing system. Known in Japan as Shodo, “the way of writing,” and in Korea as Seoye, “the art of writing,” calligraphy was often considered a classical art form separate from the contemporary art world, but in recent years has gained recognition for its role and significance in modern art movements.

The invited artists are Bisei Fukushima Koshu, Michiko Hamasaki, Taisang Han, Sogen Hirano, Etsuko Ichikawa, Ryukoku Inamura, Dojun Jung, and Noriko Keitoku.

Each invited artist will exhibit a body of recent work that showcases their distinct approach to this historied and evolving medium. The art of calligraphy necessitates mastery of balance – weight of line, motion of composition, activation of negative space, and flow of ink – considerations that come into being with remarkable inertia in the moment of creation. The exhibition’s related public events will offer the chance to see the living dynamism of this art through live calligraphy performances, an instructional workshop, and artist presentations.

About the artists

Bisei Fukushima Koshu charted a career in design and advertising, balancing his work life with studies in ancient Chinese calligraphy, then going on to develop his own style that expresses the energy, essence, and meaning of each stroke. His scrolls and panoramic compositions of Kanji characters evoke the potential for humanity to connect spiritually with the gods.

Michiko Hamasaki began her studies in calligraphy at Tokyo Gakugei University, eventually pursuing her graduate work in the medium. She is the Director of Sumi Art Museum in Yokohama, and head of the calligraphy group “Michinokai.” Her approach involves bursts of spontaneity that unfold in large-scale scrolls and suspended installations.

Taisang Han was trained in the traditions of Chinese calligraphy with ink and brush work, then moved into the Korean writing system of Hangul. His work blurs the boundaries between calligraphy and abstract painting, using characters in thickly painted layers of repetition that both acknowledge and obscure embedded meaning.

Sogen Hirano is a founder and advocate of “Shogei,” a genre of calligraphy that uses the line of “life” to form the shape of all things in the universe. He became a master of traditional calligraphy in his teens, winning grand prizes at numerous exhibitions before moving into freelance work at the age of 30. He often paints on unconventional substrates such as silk and corrugated cardboard, integrating pastels and drawing media alongside ink.

Etsuko Ichikawa received a BFA from Tokyo Zokei University and came to the US to attend the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. With a broad practice in installation, sculpture, and performance, she spent nearly three decades in Seattle, relocated to Hawai‘i Island in 2023, then returned to her home of Tokyo, Japan in 2024. Her approach to calligraphy employs molten glass as the brush, dripping and swiping it across paper to paint compositions through pyrography.

Ryukoku Inamura is a master of tenkoku, a type of hand-carved stone seal used as a stamp with red ink, often combining his tenkoku prints with ink calligraphy. The artist carves written characters within the intimate world of a square inch, where the tiniest mark has the potential to drastically change the composition.

Dojun Jung, a longtime traditionalist in Korean calligraphy, took a radical departure in the direction of his work at age 70. By distilling his marks to the most paired down units that comprise the Hangul writing system, he has moved away from the conventional constructs to highlight the beauty of ink and stroke in his abstracted, large-scale compositions.

Noriko Keitoku began commuting to calligraphy lessons while attending Daito Bunka University in Itabashi, Japan. Now in her 80s, she is versed in the art of Kana, the Japanese phonetic writing system, painting with a careful balance of scattered characters, negative space, and variation in line that emphasize a subtle confidence in brushwork on top of brilliantly colored papers and metal leaf.

Schaefer International Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and also before select Castle Theater shows. Related public events include ACTIVATIONS: After Hours at the Gallery (Nov. 7), Workshop: Ink • Brush • Paper (Nov. 10), ArT=Mixx: Dream Passport (Nov. 16), and Artist Talk: New Takes on Tradition (Dec. 7).

Admission is free. Learn more at www.mauiarts.org.