Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma - INKMAN
Ali Kazma
Further images
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.