Richard Gorman: Japan

25 Jan-22 Feb 2025

Overview

Japan presents over two decades of Richard Gorman’s celebrated works on paper, focusing on the motif of the circle.

For over thirty years, Gorman has been visiting Echizen, a mountainous region of Japan, to handcraft washi paper alongside the skilled artisans of the family-run Iwano Heizaburo paper mill. The mill uses a traditional technique in which kōzo (mulberry) pulp is boiled, beaten, then set in sukibune trays, before being pressed and dried. In some of Gorman’s works, gouache is applied to the surface of the finished paper; for others, Gorman developed a process in which dye is soaked directly into the pulp then shaped in moulds, allowing for a deeper saturation of colour. In both instances, Gorman’s bold, elemental forms enter a playful tension with the tactile, organic texture of the paper.