Hisae Abe

Hisae Abe graduated from the Royal School of Needlework in 2020. She explores materials and combines them with hand embroidery and other elements. She is extremely particular about utilizing materials influenced by traditional craftsmanship with a deep appreciation of her Japanese heritage. She talks to the materials and interprets the image using various hand embroidery techniques. In her work, Sumie, which is an East Asian type of ink and wash painting, is often used as a starting point to capture an image. That is why her work has fluidity and spontaneity and is sometimes sensitive and dynamic.

“This diptych piece, Wind God and Thunder God, is constructed using hand embroidery and painting. They are inspired by the renowned folding screen painting ‘Fujin Raijin,’ which depicts the god of thunder and the god of wind, painted by a famous Japanese painter, Sotatsu Tawaraya, in the 17th century. In each piece, I have combined hand embroidery and hand painting on black kimono fabric and used Japanese gold thread in appreciation of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. I brought the potent energy of thunder and the force of the wind into my works, applying different goldwork embroidery techniques to each piece. Additionally, I incorporated hand-dyed washi paper, newspaper, and lacquer thread to add depth and texture to these energetic pieces.”

Wind God and Thunder God (diptych)

mixed media and hand embroidery on the kimono fabric

15.7” x 25.2” (with frame for each piece)

$2500 (diptych)

2022