KAI Films

There is a word in Japanese that expresses the notion of recognizing and appreciating things that have once been overlooked; this word is kizuki.

In her late twenties, Kosogawa Runa began to understand the transience of life due to her loved ones facing serious illness—this understanding led her to realize that the most mundane aspects of the day to day were truly what made her life meaningful. This was her kizuki. From then on out, Kosogawa tried to embed this kizuki into her artwork. In many cultures, different flowers hold specific metaphorical value; Kosogawa used these metaphors to link her thoughts and feelings to these flora. The beautiful yet fragile nature of glass, combined with the metaphorical value of flowers embodies her thought-provoking aesthetic today.

Recently, Kosogawa has started to extend her motif from the personal to the global. Instead of focusing on the intrapersonal, she plays with thoughts that shake the whole world, such as environmental tragedy and the disruptive nature of war. Her current body of work, which include black glass flowers, represent these anxieties.

Kosogawa Runa moved to Takayama city in the Gifu prefecture in 2012, where she established a glass studio with her husband. She is a recognized artist with collections in several museums worldwide.