Acclaimed Japanese artist KAKU (b. 1950) 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.
Ippodo Gallery is pleased to present Spiral Rhythm, a solo exhibition of more than a dozen works of paper and three-dimensional wall sculptures by KAKU. Composed from tens of thousands of hand-wrapped washi paper spirals, KAKU’s pieces are on view from February 5 to February 28, 2026.
KAKU 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. Central to his unique technique is the meticulous hand-wrapping of each spiral, working from the core outward: washi paper is coiled repeatedly around special wires. KAKU arranges the individual paper coils into expansive compositions where each component becomes inextricable from the whole. To create these spirals is a form of meditation, an invitation to join in a collective serenity.
“Standing before a work by KAKU, I find myself drawn to take a deeper breath. I believe that this urge stems from the warmth that the work possesses, one that seems to absorb everything from my sigh to the clamor of everyday life. Breath is purified through KAKU’s art, and I am able to inhale deeply once more.”
– Shoko Aono, Director
