S O T A N A K A

Let a colored paper swim in clouds


2025

I developed "Let a colored paper swim in clouds" for a solo exhibition at Moro. These pieces are an evolution of my previous experiments called "Transfer," which I started in 2019.

My process begins with selecting colored paper guided by an intuitive image in my mind. I create a mold, imagining the shape it will eventually take. As the cement cures, the colors from the paper transfer into it, while the cement's moisture simultaneously distorts the mold's shape.

From the moment I pour the cement onto the colored paper until it hardens, I cannot see what is happening inside. The transformation I had imagined overlaps with the actual transformation woven into the material and then with the transformation you experience when you encounter the finished work.

The resulting works reveal colors that shift subtly depending on light and viewing angle. Each piece captures a specific moment in the material's transformation, a record of the unpredictable interaction between paper, cement, and time. When you encounter these objects, you're invited to touch their surfaces and discover the textures that emerged from this hidden process.


Material: white cement, colored paper

Dimensions: variable

Past exhibitions:

Let a colored paper swim in clouds at Moro, Tochigi, Japan, 2025 April 26 – May 6 →

Let a colored paper swim in clouds white cement sculptural work with color transfer from paper Let a colored paper swim in clouds cement sculpture close-up showing colored paper texture transfer
Let a colored paper swim in clouds sculptural cement piece with distorted mold shape Let a colored paper swim in clouds, white cement, detail of the color transferred from the paper
Let a colored paper swim in clouds, cement works installed at Moro Let a colored paper swim in clouds white cement and colored paper sculptural work top view
Let a colored paper swim in clouds, exhibition view Let a colored paper swim in clouds white cement sculpture detail showing material transformation Let a colored paper swim in clouds cement and paper sculptural work close-up color transfer process Let a colored paper swim in clouds, white cement with colored paper