Akio Nagasawa Gallery Aoyama is pleased to present The Marrow of Ropes, a solo exhibition by Hajime Kinoko.

Hajime Kinoko, a Shibari master, is a rope artist who elevates bondage into art. In addition to his performance of "binding" people, Kinoko also creates unique installations where he transforms natural objects (stones, trees, etc.) buildings and spaces through bondage. His work has been actively presented all over the world including in Japan.
We hope you will take this opportunity to experience the woven world by bondage, a unique Japanese culture.

I tie people up.
Why do I do this, and what is the purpose? Is it even necessary?
I have been working with rope on a daily basis, and before I knew it, the rope had become like a natural extension of my hand.

When wrapping people up in rope and at once giving them love,
the tied-up person’s mind relaxes, while the rope at once binds us together.
The act of tieing up has the reverse effect of loosening up.
This transformation process is what bondage is all about.

As a rope artist, I have been tieing up all kinds of objects, even spaces, by various techniques.
I arrived at a point where I felt the desire to revisit the essence of bondage, and leave a tangible trace.

Hajime Kinoko