Sokyo Gallery in Kyoto is pleased to present Amorphous, the gallery’s first solo exhibition of the work of Chikaraishi Saki. Chikaraishi is an artist who explores, through the actions of knitting and unraveling, how relationships and changes take shape among things, people, and communities. Over many years, she has likened the process of building three-dimensional forms by interlacing one-dimensional yarn to the formation of crystals.
The title Amorphous refers to the way in which the exhibition as a whole shifts into a fluid, unpredictable state as the works, which individually have an internal order reminiscent of crystals, merge with various elements including the space, the gallery, and visitors. Just as three-dimensional forms emerge from one-dimensional yarn, our world also takes shape through the connections that link countless particles. In contemporary life, with its daily pressures and constant flood of information that can leave us feeling overwhelmed by complexity, Chikaraishi adopts a sweeping, cosmic perspective and a focus on the essence of things to untangle the world’s threads and return to a simple point of origin. She treats surplus yarn, which can be seen as detritus of the Anthropocene, as a vital contemporary resource, and seeks to reconstruct the world anew through the knitting process. By doing so, her practice encourages us to calmly re-center ourselves amid the hectic pace of everyday life.
Chikaraishi makes active use of remnant yarn, unwanted fibers, and other discarded materials, drawing attention to issues surrounding excess resources. She also employs dyeing methods with low environmental impact, which in recent years include pigment dyeing with biological (enzyme-based) treatment, as well as bengara (traditional iron-oxide) dyeing. The former approach involves coloring yarn with pigments and then washing it in a liquid containing enzymes, which break down excess pigment so the resulting wastewater is clear and has minimal environmental impact.
This method remains environmentally friendly even at factory scale, with specialized dyeing processes used to finish the yarn.
Meanwhile, bengara dyeing has low environmental impact when done at home, but its footprint can increase when carried out in large quantities. For this reason, Chikaraishi dyes all her bengara yarn herself at home with maximum consideration for the environment.
In Kyoto, the dyeing industry, including dyeing for Nishijin weaving, which had flourished for many centuries, caused river pollution from the Meiji era (1868–1912) through the Showa era (1926–1989). At a time when sewage systems were not yet in place, wastewater from many factories flowed directly into the Kamo, Hori, and Katsura rivers, and contamination from chemical dyes and metal-based fixatives worsened. By the mid-20th century, records describe colorful water flowing in rivers, and degradation of the ecosystem and foul odors affected daily life. With this history in mind, the ecologically conscious dyed work that Chikaraishi shows here serves as a meaningful counterpoint to Kyoto’s problematic environmental history. By demonstrating a sustainable approach to dyeing while acknowledging negative
aspects of the past, the exhibition links regional history with present-day efforts. From the 1970s onward, water quality gradually improved through stricter wastewater regulations, the development of sewage infrastructure, and refinements in dyeing techniques. While the severe pollution of the past is no longer seen today and the ecosystem is recovering, the impact of urban wastewater remains, and ongoing environmental conservation is crucial.
Along with three-dimensional works, the exhibition includes drawings based on knitting patterns, works made with glass and sand, and paintings in which fine yarn fibers intertwine and attach to delicate ridges and hollows formed by sand particles. It also features Tanabata horses (decorative straw figures made for a local summer festival), which figured in regional annual events in Watari, Miyagi Prefecture, presented with the cooperation of the Watari Municipal Museum, as well as Unraveling Horses, a work inspired by them. This re-creates the dialogue and connection with the community that Chikaraishi pursued when she participated as an artist in the community-based cultural Watari Triple [C] Project.
We warmly invite you to view this deeply intriguing and rewarding exhibition.
