Detail: We are pleased to present Spiral Rhythm, the first solo exhibition of acclaimed Japanese artist KAKU at the gallery. More than a dozen works of paper and three-dimensional wall sculptures, composed from tens of thousands of hand-wrapped washi paper spirals, are on view from February 5 to February 28, 2026. KAKU meditates on the significance of washi paper as an integral element in Japanese culture, particularly as it evokes qualities of warmth, innocence, and quiet in everyday life. The essence of washi offers a material intelligence that refreshes the soul.

KAKU (b. 1950) began the extraordinary journey into washi in 1980s Japan when he voluntarily made the decision to withdraw from a thriving commercial career in design. The roots of what became his spiral designs developed over fifteen years of near-isolation in Budapest, Hungary as he recovered from a fast-paced culture that had created burnout: “The spiral pieces emerge from my hands as naturally as breathing, as if a spider were spinning its thread from deep within me,” the artist reflects. “The spiral feels to me like a fragment of life itself.”

Central to his unique technique is the meticulous hand-wrapping of each spiral, working from the core outward: washi paper is coiled repeatedly around special wires. KAKU arranges the individual paper coils into expansive compositions where each component becomes inextricable from the whole. To create these spirals is a form of meditation, an invitation to join in a collective serenity. There is a simple and profound meaning to the natural white character of washi and organic forms which recall leaves, shells, and other biological formations. It is a visual language shared by Ippodo Gallery: references to nature which transcend cultural and aesthetic boundaries.

KAKU is a contemporary artist adored and collected by art connoisseurs, major collectors, interior designers, and architects since Ippodo Gallery first debuted his work in New York. His work has been exhibited extensively in Japan, Poland, and the United States.