Leiko Ikemura

Renowned Japanese-Swiss artist Leiko Ikemura’s multifaceted oeuvre comprises paintings, watercolours, drawings, as well as terra-cotta and bronze sculptures. She has created a diverse cultural universe that acts as an intermediary between Western and Asian culture.

Ikemura is known, above all, for her sculptural works. Her hybrid creatures, seemingly archaic, oscillate between human, animal and plant like shapes. Sometimes childlike or feminine in appearance, the figures and their peculiar physiognomy evoke moments of calm reflection and deep emotion; at times they gesture towards vulnerability and pain, at others they symbolise bliss and dreaminess.

This title introduces Ikemura’s most recent installation: six sculptures displayed in the open air at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, an ensemble of buildings and parkland designed by Santiago Calatrava. Large-format photographs bear witness to the unreal, almost dreamlike dialogue between the sculptures and Calavatra’s iconic architecture, while the inclusion of works unrelated to this project offers a comprehensive introduction to Ikemura’s unique visual universe.

Text in English, German and Spanish.