Rippling 1983

Curator: Immediately striking, don't you think? Editor: It feels precarious, almost dangerous. All those jagged shapes, balanced so delicately. What are we looking at exactly? Curator: This is "Rippling," a monoprint by Toko Shinoda, created in 1983. Shinoda was renowned for her modern interpretations of traditional Japanese calligraphy, and here, she’s working with ink on paper to explore form and texture. As a monoprint, it's a unique image, one of a kind, despite existing in a limited edition. We must consider the materiality of the piece, her process using printmaking to make unique images which challenges assumptions around production and artistry. Editor: Rippling… the name makes me think of water, but the shapes are too sharp, too angular for that. Except… that pale sliver in the middle, almost a ghost of a brushstroke, it does have a watery feel to it. It almost feels like looking at geological upheaval, with a symbol placed by the artist on the right-hand-side. It pops from the very dark black, with the red providing the tension, even discomfort. Curator: I think that contrast is central to the piece. Shinoda, in her process, balances gesture with control and chaos with order. Note also how she embraced the inherent qualities of the materials and tools. We need to consider the labor it takes to make work like this too; these marks did not appear effortlessly. Editor: Agreed. And that interplay of the delicate, almost ethereal lines against those bold blocks of black… it resonates with something deep inside me, like a half-remembered dream. It could speak to moments of great internal change for viewers as well as great geopolitical upheaval. Curator: Indeed. Shinoda’s exploration with materials and methods pushes the boundaries of traditional calligraphy, reflecting shifts in both the art world and Japanese society post World War II, so labor and industrial process also have meaning for her work. Editor: I leave feeling contemplative but restless, and there's definitely an assertive, singular perspective. I feel as though, with a work of this level of quality, this can definitely be experienced in different times differently, depending on our circumstances. Curator: Agreed. The interplay between materials, method, and intention creates something very compelling to be felt so many years later.