Aqua 2001

Katsuhito Nishikawa made this sculpture, Aqua, by carving concentric ridges into a sphere of grey stone. I love the way the ridges spiral out from the centre. You can see the mark of the chisel in the uneven surface of the stone. It gives the sculpture a real feeling of having been made, slowly and deliberately, by a human hand. The material quality is crucial here. The cool, grey stone has a quiet, grounding presence. When I run my eyes along the curves, they become darker and lighter, casting shadows that change with the position of the sun. The shape is like an inverted whirlpool frozen in time, like something that was fluid has slowly solidified. You can imagine the motion, but it’s still and silent. It reminds me a little of some of Brancusi's smooth stone sculptures, like his ovoid heads. Both artists share an interest in stripping form back to its essence. Of course, art's all about conversation, and Katsuhito Nishikawa is making his own unique statement here. It feels really meditative.