Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony.
Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.”
In this mosaic entitled "Asanoha Landscape," abstract shapes and geometric patterns collide to tell a story of imminent change. An angular shape of black and white stripes symbolizes man-made architecture and the grid-like expanse of orderly, white tesserae represents a landscape shaped by mankind. Throughout the composition, subtle fractures begin to break down this carefully maintained order, while deep crevices and bored holes symbolize the wreckage of human activity. Despite the damages, life persists. A “new order” radiates from these rifts, a disorderly pattern of tesserae that reclaims the land with an energy that is chaotic, untethered and beautiful. A geometric pattern known as asanoha, or hemp leaves, bubbles up from the center of the mosaic, representing growth, health, and harmony.
"Asanoha Landscape," 2023
Toyoharu Kii (b. 1953)
Marble mosaic and smalti.
