"Fountain" Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii

A leader of the cross-cultural craft resurgence, Japan-based artist Toyoharu Kii creates his intricate mosaics with hand-cut Italian marble and smalti, Venetian glass made by the same Italian family for over 400 years. Using traditional Italian techniques, Kii’s art is nonetheless modern. Monochromatic, abstract, and highly textured, his work highlights the involved and technical art of mosaic making. In this evocative mosaic entitled "Fountain," a spirited burst of tessera disrupts the orderly surrounding grid, rippling out from a central focal point. Explaining that "a fountain is a symbol of life or imagination," Kii shapes the mosaic to be a source of joy and creativity, spilling out into the world around it.

Toyoharu Kii’s work has been exhibited at the Chartres Biennale, and the renowned artist has been internationally recognized, including at the prestigious Rencontres Internationales de Mosaique.