Those diaphanous balls are made from silk cocoons.

Earlier this month, our dear friend Akihiko Izukura had a gorgeous show at the Tenri Gallery in New York City. It was called “Impermanence.”

The centerpiece of the show was a silk tea house where people could actually sit inside a cocoon-like dwelling and enjoy Japanese tea and moments of silence in the midst of the nation’s most cacophonous city.

The tea house by Akihiko Izukura

New Yorkers also had a rare opportunity to buy the artist’s one-of-a-kind garments made of hand dyed, hand woven fibers. Toyoko Motojima reports that they were quite popular with the people who visited the gallery.

Did you know that Izukura-san is such a purist that he will not even use heat during his dyeing process? The fabrics are sun-dyed so no energy is expended.

And now some exciting news for you Maui folks: Izukura-san will be presenting a show in the Schaefer International Gallery in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center January 15 – March 19, 2017. Please check my blog for more details.

– Paula Rath