Rio Kobayashi
Nio, 2025
cherry wood, sapele wood, walnut veneer, gilding, vermillion and black ink, gold-plated silver tongues
123 x 183 x 97 cm
Further images
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 1
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 2
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 3
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 4
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 5
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 6
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 7
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 8
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 9
)
-
(View a larger image of thumbnail 10
)
Made from a walnut wardrobe salvaged by Kobayashi, 'Nio' has been reconstructed with cherry and sapele wood, gilding, calligraphy, and gold-plated silver tongues. The two side tables have wood grains...
Made from a walnut wardrobe salvaged by Kobayashi, 'Nio' has been reconstructed with cherry and sapele wood, gilding, calligraphy, and gold-plated silver tongues. The two side tables have wood grains that resemble faces which Kobayashi has enhanced by the addition of gold-plated silver tongues. These symbolise the Nio, Buddhist temple guard statues (in Japanese contexts). One breathes in and one breathes out, creating the sounds a-hum and a-un. They symbolise the birth and death of all things as well as 'everything' or 'all creation'.