Eriko Horiki, washi artist

DREAMING INTELLIGENCE

E.H.’s journey is the manifestation of the dream’s intelligence—the profound ability to listen to and comprehend the psychic messages that arise from the depths of the soul. This capacity was cultivated by the Japanese artist as she confronted herself and with an environment that rejected her.

To achieve the professional dream that allowed the former accountant to express her artistic authenticity, E.H. had to develop both technical skills and an extraordinary capacity for adaptation.

Instead of remaining in the comfort zone of a secure job, she chose the unknown path of a profession entirely unfamiliar to her, embracing a radical transformation of her life and habits.

She acted on impulse, following the intuition she felt upon entering a washi workshop for the first time and the inexplicable unease stirred by the thought that this millennia-old tradition of Japanese culture might succumb to the competition of industrial paper.

 Struck by the spirit of selflessness displayed by the artisans, E.H. grasped the profound spiritual essence imbued in washi. She embraced the dream into her life and allowed it to guide her on a path filled with uncertainties.

E.H.’s dream intelligence reveals itself in her ability to transform crises into opportunities, to gain acceptance within the exclusive world of Echizen washi, and to embrace the rigid rules dictated by the codes and absolute values of this ancient discipline. It shines through in her innovative spirit, her experiential and professional virtuosity wisdom, which she uses to challenge the rules of a savoir-faire unchanged for seventeen centuries. She experiments with new aesthetics and explores unprecedented applications for washi, such as architecture and the creation of a paper and crystal chandelier in collaboration with Baccarat.

With self-esteem and confidence in her ability to succeed, E.H. translated her dream into a tangible professional project, elevating an obsolete craft into an art form and, in doing so, preserving it.

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