[Title] water vein
[Artist] Kohei Nawa
[Date] January 13 – March 15, 2005
Hermès’ 2005 annual theme is “As a river flows ” The artist who undertook the first window is Nawa Kōhei. In the front right window is a straightforward expression of the “river,” while in the font left, “drops of water” are shown, presenting asymmetrical scenes on both sides of the entrance. Vapor rises from the river’s surface and turns into cloud, which becomes rain and enters the earth, going back into the river… This large-scale cycle of water is lightly expressed through the whole window.
The “river” is drawn with an extremely delicate touch onto an acrylic board. Using a glue-gun (adhesive tool) to melt solid glue into liquid form, Nawa applied the glue like paint. This activity required long hours and meticulous care, and succeeds in giving the distinct impression of the organic flow of the river. Within it, there stand quietly three torsos wearing marine-colored clothing from the 2005 Spring/Summer collection prêt-a-porter.
The “drops of water” consists of poles of disk-shaped beads linked piece by piece by a glue-gun. Inside there is a narrow fluorescent light, dimly lighting up the water drops to create a fantastical scene. Among the drops, which appear like limestone caves, the products with blue-base colors are displayed, creating a limpid scene. In the small windows, special sheets are used to make the products appear doubled or as if they were standing, giving the impression that the products are virtual.
The first windows of 2005 expresses stillness and movement simultaneously. The impressive scene melts silently into the January cityscape.
Kōhei Nawa
Artist born in 1975 in Osaka. Specialized in fine art sculpture at Kyoto City University of Art. After completing a Ph.D. at the same university in 2003, Nawa held solo exhibitions such as “Pixcell.” In 2005, he exhibited at the Aichi Expo. Nawa has won many awards, including the Selected Artist in Kyoto 2003, highest award, Japan.