Icing sugar wonders

Using 20kg of royal icing, a hard white icing made from icing sugar and egg whites, Japanese artist Ai Sasaki made intricate and delicate-looking landscapes that adorned the walls of Toi Poneke gallery for a week.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast, who opened the exhibition on Monday 24 November 2008, says the cultural exchange and engagement with local children make Invisible Scapes the most collaborative exhibition the gallery has seen to date.

“The entire gallery looks like it’s covered in snow,” says Mayor Prendergast. “The gallery is already completely white, and to some people the exhibition will at first look quite minimalist – that is until they get up closer and see the incredibly ornate designs in the icing. It’s going to look stunning.”

Ai Sasaki is interested in the way in which our daily surroundings are informed by things invisible to the naked eye such as the air, time, temperatures and energy. Through this exhibition of temporary artworks, Ai wants to preserve momentarily, those landscapes that cannot be seen.

Ai Sasaki came here just over two months ago as part of the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE) programme run by Asia:NZ and Wellington City Council. She is staying at the Bolton Street Cottage and working in her own studio at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre. Ai graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Design from Kanazawa College of Art in 2001 and has had a number of solo exhibitions in Osaka. Ai Sasaki was selected for the WARE programme on the advice of leading Japanese critic, academic and curator, Hisako Hara.