Glass art imbued with impulsiveness and openness born from a rebellious spirit against oppression.

Ikegami has a rebellious spirit against the oppression of modern society and the restrictions created by the categorization of crafts and art, and through the material of glass he expresses the impulsiveness and openness that frees him from that oppression.

As a member of the digital native generation, I have been surrounded by SNS ever since I can remember, and I have felt a sense of collectivity and oppression by reading the atmosphere. Furthermore, the basis of his creative activities lies in his opposition to being bound by various categorization frameworks such as crafts and art.

Glass has many technical limitations and tends to be considered a material with limits to artistic expression. In Japan, glass still has a strong image of tableware and traditional crafts, and is not fully recognized as art. Ikegami's works aim to go beyond this existing framework and open up new possibilities for glass expression.

Ikegami feels a release from oppression at the moment when the energy that can be glimpsed in nature, such as the growth of plants or the flow of water, is released, and has wanted to express this phenomenon. The material and technique of glass best captures the power and fluidity of nature, and was suitable for the phenomenon Ikegami wanted to express.

Glass has the property of freely changing its shape at high temperatures and fixing its shape when cooled, making it possible to express the instantaneous dissipation of energy. Taking advantage of this transparency and fluidity, Ikegami uses glassblowing techniques to embody the movement and impulsive energy of nature, while permanently ``fixing'' the form, integrating the forces of nature with his own energy.

Furthermore, while crafts emphasize functionality, Ikegami also takes on the challenge of creating gigantic installations that go beyond the framework and open up the space itself. Taking advantage of the transparency and fluidity of glass, he goes beyond physical functionality to express invisible concepts, time, and space.

Through these explorations, Ikegami is expanding the possibilities of glass art and opening up new forms of expression that are not bound by existing frameworks. He will continue to create impulsive and liberating works using glass as a medium, while maintaining a rebellious spirit against oppressive society and formality.

B-OWND