Contemporary Woodblock Prints by Takuji Hamanaka Create the Illusion of Depth

Landsliding (2012) | Japanese woodcut with Gampi paper collage

Brooklyn-based Japanese artist Takuji Hamanaka is steeped in the traditional art of woodblock printing. But after spending years as an apprentice in Japan he decided to move to New York in the 90s where he began incorporating non-traditional elements into his work. “The result,” says Owen James Gallery, who currently running an exhibition of his work, “is an elegant hybrid.”

left: Through the Windows (2010) | right: Negative Circle (2008)

After creating his woodblock print, Hamanaka then embarks on the meticulous journey of repeatedly layering a type of ultra-thin washi paper known as Gampi. What emerges are images that are quiet yet poised with energy that create the illusion of depth and curvature. They “bring to mind the descriptions of flowing Space-Time.”

Hamanaka’s show “Negative Circle” at Own James Gallery in Brooklyn is on display through February 28, 2015.