With her diverse oeuvre Leiko Ikemura has created a rich cultural universe that mediates
between Western and Asian culture it includes not only paintings watercolors and drawings
but also sculptures made of ceramic bronze and glass. The artist gained international renown
primarily through her sculptural works. Ikemura's seemingly archaic hybrid creatures oscillate
between human animal and plant forms. Her figures suggest childlike or feminine shapes and
have a very distinctive physiognomy evoking moments of inner reflection and movement. At times
they give an impression of vulnerability and pain then again of happiness and reverie. The
publication documents Ikemura's first solo exhibition in the UK. Numerous new texts situate the
artist in a broad transnational perspective and elaborate on her special mystical cosmos of
images.
