Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony.
Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.”
In this mosaic entitled "Blue Tree," Kii laments the toll that land degradation takes upon the life that it sustains. As in other works, the orderly, grid-like arrangement of white tesserae represents an environment shaped by human activity, rigid and inhospitable to life. At the center of the mosaic is a majestic tree, aglow with a halo of blue leaves. Curved abstract shapes beneath the tree represent its root system, marked by subtle cracks and fissures that reveal its environmental strain. Despite its barren surroundings, the tree continues growing, transforming the damaged earth into vibrant blue leaves. A layer of fallen leaves blankets the horizon, continuing the healing cycle of life.
"Blue Tree," 2023
Toyoharu Kii (b. 1953)
Marble mosaic and smalti.