Protected Comfort
small tile works

YAMAZAKI Nobuko, from Kyoto, employs a material introduced into Japan from the west, small glazed porcelain tiles, but she uses them uniquely as the surfaces for large, curious three dimensional sculptures. Her forms are familiar domestic objects—bedding, shower curtains, bath tubs, cushions and clothing such as shirts, dresses, socks, bathing suits and underwear. Much of her earliest work featured applied images of koi, the colorful Japanese carp closely associated with garden ponds. The conceptually soft textile base of her sculptures produces a paradoxical effect when completely covered by the hard, stiff surfaces of theee glued tiles – a paradox Yamazaki senses in contemporary human behavior. “The tiles represent a hard, protective covering over true inner feelings.” While her frequent use of blue and white tiles suggest traditional dyed patterns found in Japanese textiles and handmade paper and her use of the image of the carp evokes traditional Japan, her sculptural works are humorous, often biting messages that resonate with the uncertainties of life in the 21st century. The use of zippers in some of her more recent work represents her observation that “we lock our true feelings inside.”

Although her larger body of work is quizzical, Yamazaki also enjoys the visual stimulation of this paradoxical use of materials and the unexpected humor the images embody.

The surfaces images on the sculptures are printed one by one on the individual tiles, and then the tiles assembled onto a terry cloth surface. The challenge for Yamazaki during this final assembly is to give the sculptured forms a feeling of the softness and suppleness of the objects they imitate.

In Yamazaki’s previous exhibitions in Japan she has exhibited the large scale works, such as a queen size bed, a curtained shower stall and a bath tub. For her solo exhibition at KEIKO Gallery in Boston in July of 2010 she will feather her smaller pieces based on personal belongings, such as shirts, a dress, a hand bag, and cushions.