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Within Japan’s Shinto tradition, kami refers to the spirits that reside within nature. These deities stand as divine though often invisible forces, animating the landscapes around them as they shift between ancient trees, towering mountains, and billowing clouds. But in Japanese, the word kami also means “paper,” a more everyday but equally significant term. These homonyms form the basis of Ayumi Shibata’s practice, which mines the relationship between animist ideologies and paper as an artistic medium.
For years, Shibata has experimented with the limits of paper, transforming an otherwise fragile material into immersive, highly detailed sculptures that reward repeated viewing. The Japanese artist typically veers toward organic imagery, mirroring the connection between kami and the natural world. These Shinto undercurrents are enhanced by her preference for white paper, which is considered sacred within the religion. In fact, white paper, or shide, is often used to demarcate holy spaces, serving as a physical manifestation of kami and their presence within the area. By this logic, then, Shibata’s sculptures also contain these traces of sacrality, providing a sanctuary not just for our eyes, but for the spirits that govern our surroundings.
“Invisible kami dwell in various objects, events, and places, as well as in our houses and in our bodies,” the artist said in a 2022 interview with Colossal. “I use my technique to express my thankfulness to kami for having been born in this life. Each piece of paper I cut is a prayer.”
Throughout her work, Shibata has warped paper into everything from illuminated cities to suspended canopies, whose leaves delicately sway in the air. One of her most ambitious pieces, Kamigami Forest, depicts a dense forest crowned with tangles of leaves and roots. At the heart of the installation is a layered cavity, a sort of pathway or threshold through which viewers are encouraged to pass. That participatory act, as Shibata seems to suggest, unfolds much like a pilgrimage, journeying through hallowed ground alongside kami themselves.
“I believe my work [offers] a place to meet the material and immaterial worlds,” Shibata told deMilked. With this in mind, it’s clear that Kamigrami Forest, as well as Shibata’s other projects, stage confrontations between that which can and cannot be seen. We can, under these parameters, experience the entire breadth of the world, no matter how briefly.
Recently, Shibata has been producing thin, wispy sculptures, reminiscent both of vortexes and coral formations. These more abstract compositions represent a natural next step within the artist’s practice, presenting an alternative entry point into sacred environments and the spirits that dwell within them. They also further Shibata’s understanding of material and immaterial contexts, expanding upon the figurative language that defined her practice in the past.
“Kami move freely beyond time, universe, and places,” Shibata has said. In many ways, her art functions in the same way, fluidly venturing between the places that hold devotional value.
To learn more about the artist and stay updated, visit Ayumi Shibata’s website and follow her on Instagram.
Throughout her work, Ayumi Shibata unites paper with Japan’s Shinto tradition, exploring the intersections between sacred spirits and art.
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The Japanese artist often incorporates white paper, which is considered sacred within the Shinto religion.
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Echoing Shintoism’s deep connection with the natural world, Shibata also gravitates toward organic imagery, ranging from dense forests and canopies to billowing vortexes.
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Ayumi Shibata: Website | Instagram
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