EXHIBITION · CHIE & REI
Chie & Rei — Kakishibu as Art
KAKISHIBU AS ART
A material long used in everyday lifenow takes center stage as art.
Persimmon tannin, ink, paper, and cloth. Colors and textures shaped by sunlight, reactions with soil, and the passage of time. Chie & Rei explore a new relationship between materials and everyday life.
ABOUT EXHIBITION
Kakishibu:
a once-overlooked material takes center stage.
Kakishibu, a tannin extract made from astringent persimmons, has deep roots in everyday life in Japan. It has been used on fishing nets, sake-filtering bags, noren curtains, traditional Japanese umbrellas, Ise stencil paper, and building surfaces, protecting tools and materials from water and moisture. Yet for centuries it served mostly as a supporting material or coating, rarely taking center stage as an artistic medium.
In 2016, Rei Ito encountered a piece of cloth dyed with kakishibu. Drawn to its copper-like color and rock-like texture, he began to place kakishibu alongside ink and paper at the heart of his practice. He leaves fabric under the direct summer sun for months or buries it in soil, welcoming natural changes into the work.
This exhibition invites us to see a familiar everyday material anew as art—to bring what once played a supporting role in daily life into the foreground.
WORKS
The Works
Fragments of cloth and paper bring together layers of time and the distinct character of each material.
Images courtesy of Chie & Rei
PROCESS
Sunlight, soil, and time:
all are part of the work.
Unlike many dyes, kakishibu deepens in color when exposed to light. It can also react with iron in the soil to create unexpected patterns. The processes by which sunlight, earth, and time act on the material are themselves part of the artwork.
INSPIRATION
Time layered in architecture,
traces of everyday life.
“There is no clear point of completion. A building is always in the making.”
Homes in San Gimignano, the earthen villages of the Dogon people, villages built over water in the Philippines, and the roofs of old Japanese houses: the artist is drawn to architecture that changes shape over time through repairs and extensions.
Just as timber from decades ago can stand beside wood replaced yesterday in the same wall, cut, layered, and sewn fragments of fabric hold different moments in time. Taking traces of human habitation as a starting point, the artist seeks abstract spaces where one can feel a sense of belonging beyond national and cultural boundaries.
At the root of this practice are respect for everyday life, sustainability, mutual understanding, and a rejection of discrimination. The hope is to create a place where different cultures and histories can coexist without hierarchy. In this exhibition, the artists invite visitors to experience kakishibu—a rich material precisely because it is so elemental and simple—not only by looking, but also through touch and scent.
ARTIST
Chie & Rei
Rei Ito / Chie Ito
Based in Tokyo, Rei Ito works with materials traditionally used in everyday life—including ink, kakishibu, red iron oxide pigment (bengala), washi paper, and cloth—to incorporate layers of time and traces of human life into his art. Together with his partner, Chie Ito, he also works as Chie & Rei to share Japanese craftsmanship through art, food, and cultural experiences.
Selected Activities
2023 — Solo exhibition “Quiet Friends” at NORTHING (Bergen, Norway); co-created and published the picture book of the same name
2024 — Participated in the Beijing Art Book Fair and spoke at a talk session
2026 — Solo exhibition “Paper Cycles” and other exhibitions (Hachioji, Tokyo)
INFORMATION
Exhibition Information
- Exhibition
- Chie & Rei — Kakishibu as Art
- Dates
- December 18 (Fri) – 27 (Sun), 2026
Closed: December 21 (Mon) and 22 (Tue) - Hours
- 10:00–17:00
- Admission
- Free
- Venue
- Gallery NOOOG
1-12-1 Torigoe, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0054 (Okazu Yokocho) - Access
- About 10 minutes on foot from JR Asakusabashi Station (West Exit)
About 8 minutes on foot from Shin-Okachimachi Station (A4 Exit, Toei Oedo Line)
About 12 minutes on foot from Kuramae Station (Toei Asakusa Line) - Contact
- info@nooog.jp
RELATED WORKSHOP
Explore kakishibu through making.
During the exhibition, workshops invite participants to decorate tote bags using kakishibu stencils or try a kakishibu finish with the traditional ikkanbari technique.
December 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 · 4 people per session · ¥4,000