MASABAN: An exhibition of Mokuhanga Sisters at the Udatsu Paper and Craft Museum in Echizen, Japan

As part of the Fifth International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, Japan, Mokuhanga Sisters were invited to exhibit their work in the Udatsu Paper and Craft Museum. 

In this series of work, paper is our muse. Working with a half sheet (masaban) of washi paper and sumi ink, each artist in the Mokuhanga Sisters works in the mokuhanga technique to create a woodblock print. Mokuhanga is an ancient technique of water-based woodblock printing, where imagery is carved into wood, inked, and transferred to the paper by applying pressure with a handheld disk called a baren. The result is a suite of nine works on paper, each printed in an edition of 10. Artisans from the village of Echizen made each sheet of paper for this project using traditional papermaking methods. Through the materials of paper, wood, and ink made from soot, we explore the color black. The nine prints exhibited together explore the absence of color, positive and negative space, texture and form, line and shape. As artists, we consider the physicality of materials and what it means to make work by hand.

To see more images from this exhibition and our other project, please visit the Mokuhanga Sisters’ website: www.mokuhangasisters.com