The Tree That Lives On

Cibone O’te is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Yuriko Nishiishigaki, a wood carving artist based in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa is a subtropical island with a warm climate year-round and frequent typhoons. Trees that grow under such intense natural conditions — conditions deeply interwoven with local life — are bent and twisted by years of wind and rain, eventually reaching the end of their life. Nishiishigaki is deeply committed to working with local materials from Okinawa, which she incorporates into her practice. Nishiishigaki’s practice embraces a process of carving in which the final form is unknown at the start, and cracks or distortions — natural traits of the wood — are accepted and even cherished. In a sense, she entrusts her hand to the material’s will. Her approach could be described as an act of reverence for each tree’s life in nature and an artist’s gesture to breathe new life into them. These works, in turn, continue their life within our daily environments, adapting and becoming part of new spaces. The exhibition invites you to encounter the quiet resilience embedded in each of Nishiishigaki’s pieces.