azuma makoto: armored pine exhibition

‘armored pine’ exhibit all images © shunsuke shiinoki

leaving behind his fukuoka-based band for an artistic endeavour in flower arrangement,  japanese artist makoto azumo is known for forging an balanced bond between botany and art. the same attention to detail is evident in his latest exhibition called ‘armored pine’, a series  of armor-clad pine trees in which japanese spirits and deities are believed to reside. as the pine grows out of the punched holes of the metal armor, viewers are made consciously aware of the resilience of these plants. in doing so, he elicits respect for them, thus, helping to raise its valued existence especially to those viewing.

‘the pine, with its complicated and subtle structure beauty and life force, has the power to overtake anyone who observes it. I have been in search of a new beauty through the use of the pine in my previous work with ‘shiki 1’, ‘shiki 2’ and ‘rolling’. by covering a pine in man-made material of punched steel, the strength of the pine is expressed not by the predefined rules of presenting beauty but directly. the pine that emerges from the thousands of holes in the punched steel … becomes a mirror reflecting the heart of the viewer. ‘armored pine’ is a transformation of the pine into a new form, a new life.  I hope the impact of this first in a new series will be seen by many. ‘ – AM

azumo makoto