Japanese artist Jun’ichiro Ishii has started a two-month residency at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts (KdMoFA) where he is undertaking an art project called “Butter Cow.” He has also given a lecture to explain his art and his workshop is open to the public.
He is a keen observer of culture and his works of art are tailor-made for specific spaces. In order to accurately capture the impression of the exhibition venue, Ishii does not follow set rules, but rather represents his cultural experiences via a form symbolism specific to the exhibition space.
As all works are tailor-made for the venues, their existence is short. But Ishii videotapes them, not just for filing, but as another independent form of art. “Butter Cow” is also being created in such a way. Ishii said Chinese characters are iconic. The character that stands for “human being,” for example, is a representation of a standing person.
When that character is modified to represent a person with stretched arms, it becomes another character meaning “big.” If every Chinese character is a pictogram carrying an imaginary scene, things may be seen differently because of different structures of the words in the language.
His “Butter Cow” – a project of small cows carved from butter – is inspired by his observation of the Chinese characters as they are used in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Japan. He said visitors to his exhibition will marvel at the works of art created from food. It is also a statement that art is everywhere and different cultures can be linked to offer another dimension for interpretation.