Fountain 泉

Toshikatsu Endo's works of sculpture are simple in form, and many of them are based on the motif of the circle. He mainly uses wood as his material, which he burns to give it a charred surface, making the look of his works distinctive. The resulting works have both an assertive presence and a mysterious quietness. This particular work, in the shape of a tube, is titled “fountain”. Previous to this work, he created wooden buckets filled with water, and shorter tubes with the same title, “fountain”. When the bottom was removed from the vessel, the water held still in it started to flow, and turned into a lively fountain. Endo often talks about hollowness and absence. It is his awareness of absence that gives his works their gravity. An absence can work as a force to draw out movement and flow. The hollow that runs through “fountain” holds an invisible energy. Its power can be grasped easier if we imagine lines of magnetic force running through it. A strong magnetic field would result around the work. This fountain is not only a spout for the water; it is itself a water vein that reaches deep into a rich water source.