Japanese illuminator Fumiko Takahori, who devoted herself to the traditional Turkish art of illumination, has combined Turkish and Japanese art in her latest work. The artist illustrated the name of the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic letters together with a rose motif in Japanese style.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the artist said she was impressed by the name of the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic. "This is why I painted Prophet Muhammad’s name and indispensable rose motive facing each other. I actually tried to paint a part of heaven in my artwork.”
According to Fumiko, she was introduced to Turkish and Islamic motifs for the first time while reading an encyclopedia when she was a child. Developing a strong interest in them later in life, the artist studied textile design at Showa Women's University in Japan’s Tokyo. After her university education, she went to Istanbul, where her interest in illumination grew deeper.
Noting that she attended the workshops of professor Münevver Üçer, the co-head of the Traditional Turkish Arts Illumination Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGÜ), for two years, Fumiko said that she gave lectures for a year at a graphic design department of an advanced technical school in the capital Ankara.
The artist also received her master’s degree from MSGÜ with a thesis titled "Illuminated diwans (a collection of poems by one author in Islamic cultures) produced during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II."
Following the influence of her time in Turkey and her experience with Turkish art, Fumiko continued her education and workshops on illumination and marbling arts when she returned to Japan. Since 2014, she has been continuing her illumination and marbling education at Yunus Emre Institute Tokyo and produced many works using various Turkish motifs, including saz yolu, which features figures of the mythological birds Simurgh and Phoenix, along with dragons, lions, deer and herbal motifs. The artist held many exhibitions in Japan and her latest show will open at Yunus Emre Institute in Tokyo on Feb. 10. It will remain open until March 15.
During the Asian Contemporary Fine Art Competition Award ceremony, Fumiko was awarded the Excellence in the Arts Award in 2019.
