On the final day of 2021, bronze sculptor Yoshitomo Saito suffered a life-altering accident that tested his mettle and forced him to shift artistic gears. Particularly ironic given his solo exhibition titled “Of Sky and Ground,” Saito fell from a tree while clearing debris at his Lakewood home. After a long recovery, he’s still standing — though he’s taking steps in a new direction.
Saito’s exhibition of his final bronze sculptures opened at William Havu Gallery in Denver last month. The exhibit titled "Every Flying Insect Has A Spirit of Fairy" will show through Aug. 17, along with new paintings by Heidi Jung.
Saito, born in Tokyo, has long enjoyed his reputation as one of the most accomplished contemporary bronze sculptors. Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG), the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and University of Colorado Denver’s Emmanuel Gallery have mounted his shows.
“Yoshi Saito is a poetic observer of the world around him, ready to experiment. His 2021 exhibition at Denver Botanic Gardens, ‘Of Sky and Ground,’ offered visitors an opportunity to look closely at nature through his eyes — always considering shadow play and textures,” said Lisa Eldred, director of exhibitions, art and learning engagement at DBG. “His ‘millionyearseeds’ installation mesmerized all with its multitude of pinecones, pomegranates, peppers and branches.”
Saito’s sublime bronze works evidence undeniable mastery inspired by the plant and animal kingdoms.
“The beauty in Yoshi's work comes from his deep connection to the workings of the natural world. He doesn't romanticize it. He takes it at face value, placing himself in it, noticing the ephemeral within its cycles,” said Sheri Simons, professor emerita, Department of Art and Art History California State University, Chico, where she shared the position of Head of Sculpture.
“Yoshi's artwork expresses his visual and existential bonding with nature. He champions the simple and the overlooked,” Simons said. “In his bronzes, there exists a freshness that is as ephemeral as the nature from which they draw.”
Saito has demonstrated a fascination with casting intricate bronze insect wings on a large scale — the sort of wings Icarus might try on for flight, though ironically made not of feathers, but of metal.
Saito is bowing out of bronze works, not because he wants to, but because he has to as result of debilitating spinal injuries suffered in the catastrophic accident.
The sculptor, also part poet, part philosopher, described his fateful fall:
“For a brief three seconds, my body was airborne, and in that fleeting moment, I imagined myself soaring like a bird or an insect," he said. "But my dreams of flight shattered as I crashed onto the frozen ground, finding myself helpless in a darkened ditch with the frigid winter air wrapping around me. The absurdity of the situation struck me deeply as I lay there, my spinal bones broken and my body immobile. I felt so utterly ridiculous.”
There is, however, nothing ridiculous about Saito and his noble sculpture. He is a man who has given much of his life to an artistry of the most demanding and dangerous sort and to an aesthetic particular and precise. The works in the show evidence Saito’s whimsical and playful, yet dead serious, approach to his art.
“Yoshitomo is an artist of unparalleled depth, sensitivity, humor, and refinement, and the same may be said of him as a human being,” said Joy Armstrong, Ph.D., director and curator of the Galleries of Contemporary Art at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. “Despite the associations that one may make of bronze — that it is static, cold, or old fashioned — in Yoshi's adept hands, timeless warmth and soul are unveiled to reflect its maker.”
Saito’s bronzes in his current show display his sense of a grounded lightheartedness.
“They are all handmade bronze objects by me from my studio in Denver. Not from any commercial foundries as usual,” Saito said. “Besides bronze casting skill, I have acquired a good welding skill over the years. I weld bronze elements in whatever the compositions I desire. There is even a piece in the show that I welded an antique cast iron toy into the bronze piece. Surprising encounter of surrealistic kind. You can call me a one-trick-donkey, yet I work like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat from time to time.”
Magic is not too strong a notion for Saito’s sculptures. Upon casual glance, an observer typically cannot fathom the process that involves precise carving and molten metal.
“To melt this alloy of copper and tin in the furnace, it requires high temperature — 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, to be precise,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s very dangerous if you spill it over the crucible, so you have to know what to do with it, how to handle it in the studio,” the artist added. “Melting metal also creates terribly unhealthy fumes. So you want to protect your lungs from life- threatening internal injuries.”
Saito’s injuries resulting from his fall prevent him from continuing his bronze processes: “I must bid farewell to the dangerous process of bronze casting, a tricky dance in a studio I've engaged in for four decades.”
The artist emphasized that his art formed his lifestyle and his life.
“The art of bronze casting has shaped me, revealing layers of self and artistry. Everything from the way I respect given materials and processes as a serious craftsman to gaining high-level artistic visions required to any contemporary artists,” he said. “I've lived with it. And also lived by it because it literally has given me a financial means in my life.”
Letting go of the tools of his trade was not easy, but he found a new home for his old companions.
“The decision to part with my cherished foundry equipment and tools was not one made lightly. These tools have been faithful companions through the seasons of my artistic journey,” he said. “But now, it's time to hang up the helmet and other safety gears, close up shop. End of an era, they call it.”
“I have donated my entire equipment and tools to the Evergreen Center for the Arts in Evergreen, Colorado,” Saito said. “They are planning to offer bronze or aluminum casting classes.”
Saito’s current show’s title — “Every Flying Insect Has a Spirit of Fairy” — reflects his appreciation for the wonders of the natural world, even creatures not always readily embraced.
“I find solace in the whimsical and magical notion of the fairy, a delicate metaphor that dances on the edges of our understanding of nature and culture,” Saito said.
“I have observed a peculiar truth: the American psyche harbors a biased disdain for our insect companions. To many, these delicate creatures are mere nuisances, unwelcome guests in their lives,” he said.
“Since childhood growing up in the insect-loving culture, I marveled at the ingenuity etched into their diminutive forms,” said Saito of his life growing up in Japan. “Within their minuscule frames lies a reservoir of ancient wisdom, a testament to the unfathomable depths of nature's design. It is a wisdom that whispers of resilience, of adaptation, of the quiet miracles that unfold beneath our very noses.”
For Saito, resilience and adaptation mean finding a new way to express his artistic impulses.
“I'm done with the art of bronze casting, but not retired from art making,” he said. “I just have to give myself some time to find a new method and feel comfortable to share such body of work in public.”
Meanwhile, in private he’ll be whipping up homemade black pasta with sashimi-quality squid topping, baked tofu with minced beef cooked in sukiyaki sauce and shoyu ramen with homemade chashu pork and menma for his wife and himself.
“Meticulous cooking at home has prevented me from the danger of potential depression,” Saito said. “I cook a vast range of international and sometimes exotic food just like the way I make sculptures.”
While we won’t expect more bronze sculptures from Saito, the artist no doubt has something creative cooking on his back burner.
Eldred said: “I have no doubt that he’ll do well in any medium he turns to with his creative energy.”
• Denver Gazette previously published an article about Yoshitomo Saito’s tragic accident.
LINK HERE: https://gazette.com/life/a-tragic-fall-for-a-towering-denver-sculptor/article_67c07a3a-8096-11ec-bf3f-ef4364182557.html
• Meet the Artist: Yoshitomo Saito in this brief video produce
• Meet the Artist: Yoshitomo Saito in this brief video produced by Denver Botanic Gardens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrTrpjLdDtY
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