The Japanese use the word Kumiko to describe the woodworking technique where thin pieces of wood are used to cover windows and doors in geometric patterns. Often these patterns are covered with Japanese paper, but between rooms they are also open to create airflow and transparency.
In the words of Rasmus Fenhann,“The Kumiko shelf is a home for beautiful objects.” Literally, the inspiration derives from the traditional Japanese house and the Kumiko technique used to produce the translucent walls and doors. Like a miniature Japanese house, Fenhann’s Kumiko shelf offers separation, transparency and interaction between the objects, which can be placed inside the delicate rooms of the shelf.
However, while the Kumiko technique is traditionally used as a decorative insert into a door or a panel, in Fenhann’s shelves they play an important structural role: by creating intricate hidden sliding dovetails, Fenhann obtains joints strong enough to enable a thin, transparent structure.
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Kumiko II
2021
European Cherry
120 x 25 x h93 cm
Oregon pine, Shoji paper
Handmade by the artist
Limited edition of 8
Creating designs with an equal focus on sculptural and functional qualities, Rasmus Fenhann’s works are made in carefully selected natural materials, especially wood. He is considered as one of the most important Scandinavian designers today in the field of handmade art design. His working processes combines traditional, sometimes near-forgotten craft techniques with advanced high-tech procedures, including computer-based sketching and visualization. His painstakingly precise treatment of wood sur faces, ending up in a velvet-like, soft finish and with invisible joints, is the result of an extraordinary effort, which is both mental and physical. It is exquisite craftsmanship, close to the obsessive. In the words of the artist, “It has to do with being able to zoom in, infinitely… There mustn’t be any flaws, not even the tiniest, in the delicate woodwork. Time is key, and infinite repetition is expected until a level of breathtaking per fection is reached.”
Rasmus Fenhann has a double education from the Danish Royal Academy of Ar t and Design, Furniture Depar tment 1997-2003, and as a Cabinetmaker 1991-1996. He has frequently exhibited in Japan, Europe and in the United States, and his works are part of impor tant private and public collections including the permanent collection of the Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark. Rasmus Fenhann has received several Prizes and awards such as the Danish Arts and Crafts Silver Medal, 2004; the Finn Juhl Prize, 2016 and most recently, the Inga & Ejvind Kold Christensen Prize in 2022.