A kintsugi sculpture carries the Japanese practice of tracing breaks in gold into a sculptural work, and Are You Looking Up by Zak Stevens brings the idea to white marble. Where the stone opened along its natural veins, Stevens finished it in gold kintsugi, leaving the line visible as part of the piece. It is available at £8,000.
What kintsugi is
Kintsugi is a Japanese method of joining broken ceramics with lacquer, with the seams dusted or mixed with powdered gold. The name means golden joinery. Instead of disguising the break, kintsugi draws attention to it, so the line becomes part of the object's history and its appearance.
The practice is closely associated with the pottery used in the tea ceremony, and with an appreciation of imperfection, age and use. A bowl joined in this way is not treated as a lesser version of the original but as an object with a further chapter. The gold makes no attempt to return the bowl to how it looked before; it records what happened to it.
Kintsugi in stone
In marble, the lines come from the stone itself. A block carries veins and natural fissures from the time it formed, and as carving proceeds some of these open. A sculptor can choose to hide them, to carve around them, or to let them show.
Zak Stevens lets them show. The natural openings in the marble are finished in gold and left visible, so the history of the block stays legible in the finished figure. The gold does not decorate the surface at random. It follows where the stone itself opened.
This differs from ceramics. A bowl breaks after it is made; a block of marble carries its lines from long before the sculptor begins. Kintsugi in stone is therefore less about an accident than about accepting the material as it is, and letting the carving and the gold acknowledge what the block already contained.
Are You Looking Up
The piece sets a tall female form above a small companion figure at the back of the plinth, who looks up at her. She has a body but no head or arms. He has a head and arms but no body. They complete each other.
Gold appears near the top of the tall figure and along lines that follow the veining through the white stone. Figure, companion and carved marble plinth are offered together as a single work for £8,000. Dimensions are available on request.
Buying a kintsugi sculpture
The term is now used widely, for anything from ceramics to prints that borrow the look of gold lines. When considering a kintsugi sculpture, it helps to understand how the gold relates to the material underneath.
- Does the gold follow real breaks, veins or openings in the material
- What has been used for the gold, and how it is expected to age
- Whether the piece is suited to indoor or outdoor display
- Whether it is a single original work
- How the maker recommends cleaning the gilded areas
Seeing the piece
Are You Looking Up is in Bruton, Somerset, and a viewing can be arranged. For questions about the gold kintsugi, the stone or the price, write to Zak at hello@zakstevens.art or call +44 7498 566111.
Questions
What does kintsugi symbolise?
Kintsugi is usually understood as honouring an object's history. The break is shown in gold rather than hidden, so damage and age become part of its character instead of something to conceal.
Can you kintsugi marble?
The idea can be carried into stone, though the materials and methods differ from those used on ceramics. In Are You Looking Up, the natural openings in the marble are finished in gold. For details of how this was done, ask Zak directly.
Is kintsugi real gold?
Traditional kintsugi uses powdered gold with lacquer, and silver or other metals are also used. Modern work varies widely. For the materials in Are You Looking Up, write to Zak at hello@zakstevens.art.
Where can I buy a kintsugi sculpture?
Kintsugi pieces are sold by galleries and directly by makers. Are You Looking Up, in white marble with gold kintsugi, is available from Zak Stevens at £8,000.