Loop Barcelona
We're pleased to announce our participation in Loop Barcelona with Ali Kazma's INKMAN, 2025.
Continuing his practice of documenting hard-to-access production spaces, Ali Kazma captures the making of sumi calligraphy ink, a centuries-old craft passed down from master to apprentice at Kobaien studio in Nara, Japan.
The production of this specific calligraphy ink has continued to be practiced more or less in the same way for over five centuries in this studio after its introduction to Japan from China. Kazma’s work offers a fresh perspective on the production of the world’s purest black ink by highlighting the elements of time, labor, and craftsmanship. In Inkman, the artist concentrates on one of the older craftsman in the studio, the remarkable Mr. Toshitsugu Okabe.
The labor-intensive process, captured by Kazma’s camera and re-worked through meticulous editing, evolves into a rhythmic sequence of movements, as Okabe molds the plant and animal-based materials into ink-sticks, using the same tools and gestures that have been repeated through the centuries. — Yazın Öztürk, curator at Istanbul Modern.