Artwork Description

Title: Wisp – The Thread of Good
Artist: Keiko Moriuchi
Date: n.d.
Medium: Mixed media
Dimensions: Ø 8.7 in (22 cm diameter)

1. Artwork Identification
This circular variation of Wisp – The Thread of Good by Keiko Moriuchi commands attention through its singular chromatic intensity and hypnotic texture. Executed in bold, saturated red, the work features a rhythmic spiral of raised ridges, emanating concentrically from the center and forming a meditative topography. The sculptural surface amplifies the viewer’s sensory engagement, shifting the focus from pictorial illusion to physical immediacy. Compact yet forceful, the round format suggests both universality and introspection.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Moriuchi’s use of repetition, material layering, and intense monochrome resonates with the ethos of the Gutai movement, while her circular canvas introduces a symbolic geometry evocative of mandalas, targets, or cosmological maps. The work aligns with the tradition of material abstraction that privileges touch and presence over representation. Echoes of artists like Lee Ufan and Lucio Fontana may be discerned here, but Moriuchi’s approach is uniquely her own—anchored in process, spirituality, and the poetry of form.

3. Historical Context
Born from a pivotal moment in Japanese postwar art, Moriuchi’s career was shaped by her association with the Gutai Art Association and her early exposure to New York’s minimalist and conceptual currents. After meeting Gutai founder Jiro Yoshihara in 1962, her path took her to the United States, where she lived in proximity to Ad Reinhardt and absorbed the American avant-garde. Her induction into Gutai in 1968 marked the convergence of Eastern and Western experimental art practices. This work reflects the culmination of those influences, distilled into a precise and spiritually resonant form.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The surface is free of cracks or losses, and the sculptural ridges remain intact and firmly affixed. There are no signs of fading or wear. The piece presents with strong structural integrity and vivid coloration.

6. Artistic Significance
This red circular Wisp captures Moriuchi’s core artistic concerns: material intensity, meditative repetition, and the transformation of surface into experience. Its compact size belies its conceptual depth, offering a contemplative focal point that bridges the corporeal and the cosmic. The work stands as a testament to Moriuchi’s role in expanding the visual vocabulary of postwar abstraction, positioning her not only within the Gutai legacy but also within a broader global conversation on materiality, ritual, and the power of form.