Stone and Makoto

Makoto Fujiwara is a Japanese sculptor who has worked for most of his life in Europe, far from the land of his origin, a small temple deep in the Japanese mountains. This book has evolved over the past four years, a document of his work as a stonemason and a very personal account of his unceasing playful curiosity and authentic tenacity in seeking to understand the world; following the vocation of his given name,-Makoto, 'truthfully'-, his engagement with a seemingly most impenetrable material: stone. This collection of stories, streams of observations, happenings, and insights, scrawled by the artist on large sheets of paper, draws us into complicity as we become witness to countless iterations-chiselling and polishing-that progress over extended intervals of time; the preparatory work of scouting, recognizing, heaving, and moving; the aftermath of landscaping and setting in place; the many social interactions along the way as he invites colleagues to collaborate, and shares the labours of friends. The world that unfolds inspires appreciation of the unconditional and non-arbitrary in us who regard the 'un-do' as an always available option. After Makoto's passing, we are left to finish this book in good faith, sadly missing his final seal of approval. -Andreas Schneider