KAKU: Spiral Rhythm

Ascending towards the Light

Neither an example of contemporary conceptualism nor expressive sculpture, the work of KAKU is the embodiment of life itself. A structure of continuous rotation that ascends eternally without ever tracing the same path, the spiral is a testament to the daily resolve to simply live. As the artist himself describes it, "Like a spider spinning its thread, these pieces overflow from my hands. When they converge upon a single panel, my conscious intent vanishes, and each piece seems to take on a will of its own, echoing and resonating until the collective becomes a solitary, towering presence."

KAKU rose to fame as a product designer during a period of rapid economic growth in Japan in the 1980s, but soon found himself threatened by being consumed by the commercial world. He made the significant choice to cast that life aside, leaving Japan and relocating to Hungary for fifteen years where he dedicated his days to introspection and the exploration of his inner realm. It was there he discovered the inherent beauty of Japanese washi paper. In the natural, untouched, white hue of the paper—its inherent innocence, tenderness, and warmth—he sought to recover his soul's tranquility, patiently creating countless pieces of spiral forms one by one with his own two hands. When these pieces were gathered together, the Spiral Series was born. Sometimes, KAKU casts vibrant paint upon his white spirals, coating them with color, and this eruption is truly an expression of exultation from a heart that has found its freedom.

NEW YORK, NY – Ippodo Gallery is pleased to present Spiral Rhythm, the first solo exhibition of acclaimed Japanese artist KAKU at Ippodo Gallery. More than a dozen works of paper and three-dimensional wall sculptures, composed from tens of thousands of hand-wrapped washi paper spirals, are on view from February 5 to February 28, 2026. KAKU meditates on the significance of washi paper as an integral element in Japanese culture, particularly as it evokes qualities of warmth, innocence, and quiet in everyday life. The essence of washi offers a material intelligence that refreshes the soul.

KAKU (b. 1950) began the extraordinary journey into washi  in 1980s Japan when he voluntarily made the decision to withdraw from a thriving commercial career in design. The roots of what became his spiral designs developed over fifteen years of near-isolation in Budapest, Hungary as he recovered from a fast-paced culture that had created burnout: "The spiral pieces emerge from my hands as naturally as breathing, as if a spider were spinning its thread from deep within me,” the artist reflects. "The spiral feels to me like a fragment of life itself.”