Ikeda Manabu’s remarkable artwork taking shape in the basement of the Chazen Museum of Art is still untitled, but it is growing larger — and more fascinating — by the day.
The acclaimed Japanese artist is midway through a three-year residency at the museum, located at 750 University Ave. on the UW-Madison campus. Eight hours a day Ikeda labors on a 130-square-foot artwork, filling it with millions of small, intricate strokes of his ink pen.
The meticulous work continues to grow in scale and complexity, revealing the work of an artist whose work is coveted by international collectors.
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“It’s been a wonderful, unique opportunity to watch a project of this magnitude come into being,” said museum director Russell Panczenko.
“We’ve had installations and visits from artists that lasted days or even weeks, but this is entirely unique. Even I have never had an opportunity like this.”
Visitors can still stop by to witness Ikeda’s daily progress on select weekday afternoons (see the museum’s website at www.chazen.wisc.edu for a schedule). He aims to finish the work by summer 2016.
The piece is inspired by the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan, a dramatic illustration of how civilization is at the mercy of the forces of nature, he said.
In cascading waves of water and destruction, Ikeda inserts imagination and bits of humor, including images from his stay in Wisconsin: An image of Bucky Badger, a car wash Octopus figure, even a sign for the Chazen museum.
Smaller than a child’s fingernail is an image meant to be of his second daughter, Huki, born in Madison shortly after Ikedas’ arrival. His daughter Tou, now 6, speaks English like an American and his wife, Ai, is enjoying learning about American cooking, he said.
Ikeda’s intense work does not allow him to tour as much of Wisconsin as he would like, he said. But he recalls a walk last winter on frozen Lake Wingra that inspired him to create another piece of art in his spare time at his Madison home.
That one depicts layers and layers of different civilizations deep beneath the ice.
Having visitors watch his work at the Chazen evolve has been an interesting experience for an artist who usually works alone, he said.
“I’m enjoying it, because I’m getting a response directly from the audience,” he said.