Aug 10, 2025

Blurring the Line: On Function, Art, and the Space Between

When we started Casa Ysasi, one of the questions we kept returning to was this: Where does function end, and where does art begin?

Growing up in Mexico, we were surrounded by objects that didn’t fit neatly into categories. Sculptures held candles, ceramics were used at the dinner table, and handmade textiles were both art and everyday utility. Art was present in daily life, not treated as precious or separate, but lived with. That idea stayed with us.

Later, we were drawn to Japanese craft and design, which echoed that same way of thinking. In both cultures, the boundary between fine art, craftsmanship, and design is soft, if it exists at all. There’s room for what some call popular art, not as a lesser category, but as another way of connecting beauty with life.

One of the artists who helped us frame this idea early on was Isamu Noguchi. In 1951, Noguchi visited Gifu, Japan, a town known for its lanterns made from mulberry bark paper and bamboo. That trip led to the creation of his Akari series—handmade lamps that used traditional Japanese techniques to produce sculptural forms that could fold flat, travel easily, and live lightly.

He chose the word Akari, which means “light,” but also implies weightlessness and illumination. The lamps were part object, part sculpture practical, but also deeply poetic. Noguchi said, “All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.” They confused the debate between applied and fine arts. Were they sculptures or lamps? Both? Neither? Noguchi didn’t seem interested in giving a fixed answer.

We were inspired by the Akari lamps’, the way they transformed space through the simplest of materials. Their novelty, usefulness, and timeless quality aligned with how we wanted to think about light in our own practice.

At Casa Ysasi, we began to imagine a space that could reflect that same approach. A gallery that also functioned as a studio, a home, and a place to gather. We wanted to create exhibitions that could sit between object and installation, design and fine art.

Our first exhibition at Emeco House gave us a chance to explore this idea. Now, as our gallery takes shape, that idea continues to guide us. We’re interested in objects that hold a presence. In lighting that changes the atmosphere of a room. In pieces that don’t need to choose between art and function.

As a studio, we’re committed to working with artists and makers who share that sensibility. Through objects, events, and collaborations, we hope to keep creating space for things that don’t quite fit. Things that carry story, and soul. 

Written by ~ Patricio Hernandez-Ysasi

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