SEIZAN Gallery is pleased to present KEIKO ARAI: INKSCAPE, on view from May 8 through June 21. This marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States and features a wide-ranging survey of works created using a single pigment—sumi ink—on washi paper. Through experimental techniques that challenge traditional practices, Arai reshapes sumi ink painting, a practice with roots stretching back over a thousand years in East Asian art history, while exploring the expressive possibilities of monochromatic abstraction.

 

The exhibition features over twenty-two works from Arai’s ongoing series, including Zone and Now and Then. Zone presents contemplative yet playful abstractions, composed of biomorphic shapes that resemble organelles seen through a microscope or fragments of satellite images capturing isolated islands adrift in the ocean. While traditional sumi ink art is often defined by bold brushstrokes that express spontaneity and momentum, Arai takes a contrasting approach in this series. She begins by wetting washi paper with sumi ink, then masks selected areas using cutouts of various materials. This method slows the drying process—sometimes taking an entire day—resulting in forms with organic contours and rich, unpredictable textures. Through this repetitive and immersive process, Arai creates ink fields that are deeply personal and visually distinctive.

 

Now and Then reflects a more traditional approach to sumi ink painting. In this series, the repeated circles arranged in grid lines inevitably recall the Enso—the iconic single-circle symbol that first appeared in Zen Buddhist paintings during the premodern era. Traditionally drawn in a single brushstroke, the Enso represents concepts such as emptiness or void, the universe, and enlightenment. It has recurred throughout the history of Japanese art as a profound spiritual and aesthetic symbol.

 

Now and Then marked a turning point in Arai’s artistic practice. She received 100 blocks of dry sumi ink from a long-established ink maker in Nara, Japan. These blocks were the result of over 50 years of experimentation—an exceptional batch with deep historical resonance. Sumi ink is traditionally formed into dry blocks made from soot (derived from pine or oil) mixed with nikawa, an animal glue. To use it, the artist grinds the block against a stone slab to create liquid ink. Variations in ingredients, production methods, and environmental conditions give each block a unique color and texture. “It was intensely moving when I first used the block I was gifted and dipped the tip of my brush into the ink,” says Arai. Now and Then is a series that attempts to capture that moment—again and again. “Painting with sumi ink is like breathing. There is no mistake when you breathe.”

 

The exhibition also includes a series of paintings in which Arai combines sumi ink with unconventional organic materials—such as exhausted indigo dye to create brown hues, and bronze patina for green tones. Another series features sculptural works, where she constructs washi paper in dimensional forms mounted on traditional scrolls.

 

Keiko Arai (b. 1963, Tokyo) is a self-taught ink painter who has exhibited prolifically in Japan, France, and Korea. Her recent solo presentations include exhibitions at the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art Gallery, Chiba City Museum, Funabashi Andersen Park/Children’s Museum of Art, and numerous galleries. Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions such as the 30th International TANNAN ART Festival, Tobinodai Shell Midden Museum, Centre culturel Les Fosses d’enfer (Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne, France), the Museum of Modern Art in Saitama, and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Arai has completed several public commissions, including fusuma-e (sliding door paintings) for Okamoto Shrine and Otaki Shrine in Fukui, and Hojoji Temple in Chiba, as well as for the Udatsu Paper and Craft Museum in Fukui. Deeply committed to the traditional craft of sumi ink, Arai regularly leads workshops to promote its practice and works closely with a community of sumi ink craftsmen in Nara. She lives and works in Chiba, Japan.

 

For inquiries, contact info@seizan-gallery.com