Gallery Kasagi

Irie Kazuko's Footsteps
in Silk Road and Works of Art
(PDF:1MB)

Irie Kazuko Silk Road Museum (memorial hall) was founded in 2000 in Asagaya, Tokyo and is dedicated to exhibiting dozens of her big pieces (size 200 class mainly), as well as vast array of collections such as her own rough sketches drawn by portable drawing instruments in a remote area, travel writings, photographs, ethnic crafts and more.

A series of Irie's works of art fearuring Silk Road, whose subjects such as the good old days of Silk Road's beautiful and spacious landscape, idyllic and totally cheerful inhabitants, joyful songs or dance, crowds in a marketplace, and a flock of sheep are remembered by large canvases, is an extremely valuable art and a cultural property which will be passed down to the next generation, and its mystic and fine one-of-a-kind color touches our heart and gives us some great pleasure.

This WEB MUSEUM "Invitation to Xanadu, Irie Kazuko Silk Road Museum" has been founded to introduce her grand achievements as a painter to the world.

Irie Kazuko Silk Road Museum

 
Address:

8-19, 2-chome, Asagayakita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-0001, Japan
 

Nenjiang's red sunset

I was born in a merchant family prior to the second world war, and spent in Daegu, South Korea during my susceptible ages until I entered Women's Academy of Fine Arts in Tokyo (present Joshibi University of Art and Design).

Crazy about painting from a young age, I made at least one drawing a day.

I went to Japan all alone over the opposition of my relatives to enter the univeristy.

After I got back to Daegu upon graduation, I hopped into a coach by myself with a lot of big burdens such as some of my watercolors and frames at the request of a personal exhibition at Halpin and Qiqihar in Manchuria.
One foot out of Halpin, there lies a vast plain with no trees, nor grass surrounded by the boundless expanse of Korean field.
A majestic sun is setting over the horizon.

At Nen river, the sunset colors the surface with deep red as if it’s bleeding, a sailboat like a junk is afloat on the river. "This can't hardly be represented." I felt helpless in front of that scenery.
You could say that my starting point as a painter originated from the encounter with that scenery at that time, and my journey in Silk Road started in order to chase the red sunset at the Nen river.