Artscene January–June 2017 | Page 10

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Jim Dine at work on the Chazen commission in his Paris studio . Photo : Russell Panzcenko
Manabu Ikeda at work on Rebirth in the Chazen studio classroom .
On December 14 , 2016 , the large-scale ink drawing entitled Rebirth , which Ikeda Manabu produced during his three-year residency in Madison , was packed up and shipped to Japan . There , the piece , accompanied by a selection of Ikeda ’ s other works , including the Chazen ’ s Meltdown ( 2013 ) and Grass Mantis ( 2004 ) will be displayed in four different museums across the country . The first venue will be the Prefectural Museum in Saga , Ikeda ’ s hometown . I am sure his family and friends , from whom he has long been absent , will welcome him and celebrate his great accomplishment . What will happen to this exceptional work after it completes the tour of the Japanese museums is still up in the air . As one would expect , the Saga Prefectural Museum would like to keep it . However , during Ikeda ’ s Madison residency curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in