Description
OBÄKE LIGHTING
“OBAKE,” A FUNCTIONAL ARTWORK BY JONATHAN JOUAN, INVITES US INTO THE DELICATE INTERPLAY BETWEEN TRADITION AND TRANSFORMATION. ROOTED IN THE RICH TAPESTRY OF JAPANESE FOLKLORE, THIS LAMP DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE CHOCHIN-OBAKE, THE GHOSTLY LANTERN SPIRIT FROM JAPAN’S EDO PERIOD. WHILE THE CHOCHIN-OBAKE MIGHT NOT PROMINENTLY FEATURE IN ANCIENT MYTHOLOGICAL TALES, ITS PRESENCE IS DEEPLY FELT IN THE WORLD OF UKIYO-E AND KABUKI, WHERE IT SERVES AS A SYMBOLIC FIGURE OF THE UNCANNY.
THE CHOCHIN-OBAKE BELONGS TO THE REALM OF TSUKUMOGAMI—OBJECTS THAT, AFTER A CENTURY OF EXISTENCE, GAIN LIFE AND TRANSFORM INTO YOKAI, OR SPIRITS. THESE HAUNTED BEINGS, SUCH AS THE LANTERN WITH ITS MISCHIEVOUS, TONGUE-FLAPPING ANTICS, REMIND US OF THE THIN VEIL BETWEEN THE MUNDANE AND THE SUPERNATURAL.
MATERIALS
MATERIALS : WOOD BENDING
DIMENSIONS
L 27CM X W 27CM X H 60CM
Jonathän Jouan’s work transcends the physical realm, aspiring to evoke intangible and spiritual encounters. His artistic pieces deeply connected to mythological stories, drawing from the ancient tales that once stirred his childhood imagination. In the present, he creates custom pieces that tell personal stories, forging a connection between the object and its owner.
Through his reinterpretation of folklore, nostalgic recollections, and timeless narratives, Jouan offers a glimpse into a world where art serves as both a mirror and a window into the human experience – rooted in the past, grounded in the present, and reaching towards an unseen future.
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