Twist 19

The granite and marble sculptures of the Japanese artist Masayuki Koorida impress through the
interplay of their unique abstract form and the evenness of their polished surfaces. A number
of stone sculptures by Koorida – their perfect curves making them seem artificial yet at the
same time alive – could be seen in earlier “Blickachsen” exhibitions. This year, three of his most
recent works, entitled “Twist”, are on display in the Bad Homburg Kurpark, and further works
can be seen at the “Blickachsen” location on the site of the Roman fort of Feldberg. The torsion
suggested by the title of these monumental “Twists” is vividly present. Two bulging protrusions
of one and the same body mass seem to twist against each other in opposite directions. It is as
if they were in motion before our very eyes. The hardness of the stone is transformed by Koorida
into an organic mutability and softness. Yet these works, polished to a high gloss, with their
smooth, and thus reflective, surfaces, stand in sharp contrast to their natural surroundings.
Through the multi-layered visual presence of these formally reduced sculptures, Koorida
succeeds in opening in the observer’s imagination an infinite room for play.