Contemporary art on the cutting edge and traditional crafts firmly rooted in the past seem poles apart. But what if their paths crossed? One answer to the question is currently on show in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, where various crafts -- from ivory carving to hagoita battledores -- have been given a new twist by a rising modern artist.
Held on the first-floor gallery of Sumida Ward Office, the exhibition is aptly titled "Takumi na Takurami (Ingenious Trick)," with a pun on takumi which also means "artisan." It is a joint effort of Miran Fukuda and seven craftspeople residing in the ward, who took time to help the artist give form to her inspiration.
True to her reputation for creating works that challenge our preconceptions, Fukuda presents the crafts from her own angle. A lidded paper cup from a fast-food chain, complete with a striped straw, sits next to one of those small, flat spoons. A closer look tells us that the straw and spoon have been carved out of ivory by craftsman Ryoji Kitagawa. The same goes for the four Euro coins nearby and an innocent-looking switch on the wall with which one can turn one of the lights in the room on and off.