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 "Green Tree," Kii depicts a wide, open landscape empty of all color except for two leafy trees. As in other works, the expanse of orderly white tesserae represents an environment shaped by human activity, rigid and inhospitable to life. Scratches on the surface and jagged fissures between tiles are suggestive of environmental damage, while the absence of color suggests the absence of natural life. Despite these barren surroundings, the two trees continue to grow, slowly transforming the damaged land into a canopy of vibrant blues and greens. With time, nature will reclaim the land and return color to this colorless place.
“Green Tree,” 2023
Toyoharu Kii (b. 1953)
Marble mosaic and smalti.
