Work 62-19 

Shield-shaped patches are arranged in rows. Some have simple designs like national flags, while others are just white. Coats of arms, which originated in Germany around the 11th century to distinguish friend and foe on the battlefield, eventually spread as symbols of families that were passed down through generations, and they were also used to decorate clothing and buildings. The coats of arms in this work are reminiscent of the reliefs often seen in Western architecture. Isobe Yukihisa concentrated on this series of works, commonly known as the Crests Series, in the early 1960s before he moved to the United States and broadened his interests to include the environment and architectural notions. Existing somewhere between sculpture and architecture, the crests seen here were perhaps early indicators of the artist’s later interests.
(KATADA Yuko)