The “darkness” and “light” of the deep psyche and the surface psyche

ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) is pleased to present "Depth", the 39th exhibition of the "ADF Art Gallery Project" by Rin Ito, from 17 to 31 March 2026 at GARDE Gallery at Omotesando, Tokyo.

What we see is merely the surface.
Ink sinks, lines wander, and calligraphy, by losing meaning, begins to touch the depths of the heart. The bleeding, blurring, and layering of ink break through the membrane of reason and trace a path that sinks into the depths of consciousness. What exists there is not an answer, but depth itself — just before meaning emerges, just before thought takes form. What remains here are not words, but traces.

伊藤倫《網の手／ 700×850mm 2022年_墨、和紙》

What falls and what climbs upward.
To encompass is to move freely in all directions.
Lines and circles, black and white.

伊藤倫《draw a line 無駄なこと／630×770mm 2024年_墨、鉛筆、スケッチブック》

This work is devoted to consistently pursuing “pointless doodling.” Both “futility” and “doodling” carry the nuance of meaninglessness. For a grown adult to continue such “pointless” acts requires patience. Human beings seek meaning in everything; without meaning, we feel uneasy. Meaninglessness empties the heart. Perhaps it is at such moments that certain expressions pierce the chest. Various thoughts arise and disappear. This present moment itself may already be a futile one that will never return.

伊藤倫《美／730×440mm 2024年_墨、和紙》

“Bi (Beauty)” reads the same forward and backward.
The character for “beauty” is symmetrically structured.
What does it mean to be beautiful....?

伊藤倫《天上天下／900×750mm 2025年_墨、和紙》

What thrusts upward is both above and below.
The energy that drives us upward at times also drives us downward.

伊藤倫《マド／200×650mm 2025年_ボンド墨、和紙 》

Do we look from outside the window, or from within?
The boundary called a “window” divides the heart within oneself.

伊藤倫《網の手-2-／690×875mm 2022年_墨、和紙》

Composed from a simple structure.
Expressing flow and stillness.
Because the composition leaves white space and remains simple, both silence and dynamism are conveyed.

伊藤倫《網の手₋掌₋／550×880mm 2023年_墨、和紙》

This relationship exists through blending, intermingling, and mixing — engaging, intersecting, crossing, and passing by one another.

伊藤倫《進／715×905mm 2023年_墨、和紙》

I believe the relationship between text and non-text parallels that between lines and points, between blank space and ink. I understand both the meaning and form of characters. This work, born from the act of blindly filling the surface, became “Advance.” Should the form and meaning of the character come first, or is it acceptable that something is suddenly perceived and read in a fleeting moment? I believe this is the relationship between text and non-text.

伊藤倫《自由／450×379mm 2025年_墨、和紙》

Entwining and untangling....
Freedom is something to be gained.

Rin Ito

Ito began writing poetry during her student years. With a notebook and pen that accepted her as she was, she wrote words that resonated rather than words simply given, centering on empathy and resonance with others. Through correspondence with the late poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, she came to understand the meaning of offering words to others and began gifting words to many people on the streets.

Later, she exchanged her pen for a brush and began creating works that inhabit the silent white space with living black ink — works that embody both stillness and movement.

Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1977. In 2004, she exhibited at the International Viennale in Spain, presenting short-form poetry at an international event promoting Japanese culture abroad. Encountering Japanese culture overseas once again, she was deeply moved by the overwhelming power of live calligraphy performance she witnessed there.

After returning to Japan, she left her hometown of Iiyama and moved to Nagano City. She began improvisational street calligraphy performances, creating avant-garde calligraphy works, performing live calligraphy, and teaching. She also receives numerous commissions from facilities and companies for commercial calligraphy, including product logos and title lettering. She continues to pursue a unique style of calligraphy through daily artistic practice.

Selected Awards

2020: Associate Member, Dokuritsu Shojindan
2020: Certified Master, Nihon Shajuku Association
2020: Selected, Dokuritsu Exhibition / The National Art Center, Tokyo
2019: Selected, Dokuritsu Exhibition / The National Art Center, Tokyo
2018: 35th Anniversary Logo Selected, Hokuto Cultural Hall
2018: Selected, Japan Calligraphy Education Society Exhibition / Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
2016: Selected Young Artist, Nagano Prefecture Open Call Exhibition
2015–2017: Selected, Japan Calligraphy Education Society Exhibition / Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
2014: Encouragement Award, Takamado-no-Miya Cup / Nippon Budokan
2012: Encouragement Award, National Kakizome Exhibition / Nippon Budokan
2011: Japan Budokan Award, Takamado-no-Miya Cup / Nippon Budokan
2010: Selected, Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition / Ikebukuro Sunshine
2009: Selected, Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition / Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
2008: Selected, “Ikiru” (100th Anniversary of Akira Kurosawa) / Ginza Qualia
2007–2009: Special Selection, Kizan-kan

Major Solo & Group Exhibitions

2025: Nagano-affiliated Artists Group Exhibition “Proof of Humanity”
2024: Nagano-affiliated Artists Group Exhibition “Something Stirring”
2024: ART SHODOW Group Exhibition (Nakameguro)
2024: Solo Exhibition “Hood”
2023: ART SHODOW Group Exhibition (Awaji Island)
2023: Solo Exhibition “Mask”
2021: Rin Ito Exhibition “Black of Silence, Speaking White, Color as Kotonoha”
2019: Curated Exhibition “Silence and Impulse”
2018: New Year’s Day Live Calligraphy, Karuizawa Prince Hotel
2017: Curated Exhibition “Draw a Line”
2017: Two-Person Exhibition (Ceramics & Calligraphy)
2016–2017: Guest Artist, Ichiro Tsuruta Exhibition
2015: Dedication Live Calligraphy, Kijo Momiji Festival
2015: Solo Exhibition “Creation of Heaven and Earth”
2015: Zenkoji Temple Grand Opening Commemoration Live Calligraphy
2010–2012: Hakuba Goryu Live Calligraphy (Inbound Event)