Leiko Ikemura (Tsu, Mie, Japan) makes paintings, films, drawings, sculptures and poems. Convinced that in essence we are all the same, she creates her own universe, which is both sweet and sinister, inhabited by girl-like figures, usagi, and cats. Life and death, femininity and nature are recurring themes in Ikemura’s work. She approaches them from the idea of the four seasons, a fascination she first felt as a child growing up in Japan, where for centuries the seasons have been a popular subject in art, culture, traditions and customs. The idea of the four seasons is based on the notion both of continuous change and of continuous repetition. To Ikemura the passing of time is not therefore a linear thing, but a circular event. Motion of Love will combine early work by Ikemura from the 1980s and her most recent work. This will be Leiko Ikemura’s first solo museum show in the Netherlands.
‘To me, every time is now. There might be chronological development, but in the end that’s not so important. I always thought that the past was the past, but no – the past is now.’ – Leiko Ikemura, catalogue Motion of Love
Leiko Ikemura grew up in Japan but left for Europe at the age of 21. She studied in Spain, and eventually ended up in Cologne and Berlin, where she still lives and works. The influence of the different cultures she has lived in is apparent in her attitude both to her work and to the world.
Source: Museum de Fundatie
Museum de Fundatie
Blijmarkt 20
8011 NE Zwolle
tel. +31 (0) 572 388188