"Uriel" Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii

2020

$388

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Dimensions

W: 6.75" D: 0.5" H: 5.25"

Materials

Marble
Glass

Purchase Quantity

Collection #

CTOYK072

Estimated Shipping

$20

In the series “Clouded,” Toyoharu Kii honors the fullness of life and its continual rebirth. In some works, white tesserae assume abstract profiles. In others, irregular shapes contain a disorderly array of jagged tiles, suggesting the unexpected moments that life reveals. Within a lifetime, every living being bears the burden of change and finds their purity of spirit clouded by time. Expressing his wish for clarity, the artist surrounds each marble form with a halo of golden tiles, representing the soothing balm of heaven in the cycle of rebirth.

A leader of the cross-cultural craft resurgence, Japan-based artist Toyoharu Kii creates his intricate mosaics with hand-cut Italian marble and smalti, Venetian glass made by the same Italian family for over 400 years. Using traditional Italian techniques, Kii’s art is nonetheless modern. Monochromatic, abstract, and highly textured, his work highlights the involved and technical art of mosaic making. Uriel: Watches over thunder and terror

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Toyoharu Kii

b. 1953, Ehime, Japan

A leader of the cross-cultural craft resurgence, Japan-based artist Toyoharu Kii creates mosaics with hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti. Inspired by sumi-e ink painting, Kii’s abstract mosaics are a meditation on pattern and form, relying on the careful placement of tesserae to convey sophisticated concepts. His refined compositions vary in scale from multi-story mural installations to works that fit in the palm of your hand.

Toyoharu Kii is revered as Japan’s leading mosaic artist and teacher. His work has been featured in exhibitions worldwide, including solo exhibitions in the United States, Italy, France and Turkey.