Rieko Otake ( B.1978)
Rieko Otake creates wood sculpture using camphor, cypress, or katsura. Many of her motifs are human figures and birds so figurative, yet their gender-neutral, profound expressions remind us religious sculptures with abstract and enigmatic quality. She said that she wanted to develop the original world with forms, instead of explaining forms by meanings. She is not satisfied with expressions of human figure or birds on the level of appearance, but goes deep into the material and uncovers what makes it human or birds. Also, Otake consistently does not paint wood for her sculptures to keep the material’s fresh quality and beauty. It also demonstrates that wood is more than just material for her.
