AIKO MIYAWAKI
Sculpture 1965-1975

Studio Gariboldi celebrates Japanese art through a series of targeted initiatives, starting with the exhibition of sculptor and artist Aiko Miyawaki. The exhibition features brass sculptures of various sizes from the 1960s and 1970s.

The exhibited works are precious objects, treasure chests of light, solid structures that capture and reflect the miracles of color in the world. They are characterized by the innovative use of small brass tubes (profiles), industrial materials that Miyawaki discovered and began to use during her stay in Tokyo in the 1960s. Aiko was fascinated by the reflections created by light filtering through the tubes, which appeared violet in the early morning, red in the evening, and displayed hundreds of other shades throughout the day depending on their spatial positioning, like in a kaleidoscope. Some sculptures feature small holes through which viewers can intimately observe the world, while others point towards the sky with polished peaks. Each of these works is capable of creating new interactions with the public, inviting the viewer to a fresh interpretation of the environment.

“My brass sculptures are about the fleeting refraction and reflection of light on a surface, the visual repetition of forms, and invisibility. (…) My work is subtle. Time, space, and light… these are the concepts that obsess me.” Aiko Miyawaki, Documents: A Pictorial Autobiography (1992)

Elegant, symbolically powerful, and unique in the art scene of the 1960s, Miyawaki’s works were quickly recognized. In 1967, a brass sculpture was included in a major international exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, winning the Guggenheim’s Purchase Award and becoming part of its permanent collection.

Ph. Michele Alberto Sereni