Spilling the Milky Way

Spilling the Milky Way evokes a cosmic image in which the band of the galaxy is treated as a substance that pours or scatters across the picture plane. The subject is well matched to mokuhanga's particular strengths: water-based pigments printed onto absorbent [washi](/glossary/washi) produce diffuse, atmospheric fields that suggest the gradation of a night sky more readily than oil-based relief inks. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi), the technique of grading colour on the block before pulling an impression, allows for the smooth transitions between deep night and luminous stellar density that such a composition requires. Fine keyblock detail or sprinkled spatter can articulate individual stars against this graded ground. Ho Ching Wong, working from Hong Kong, exhibited at the 2021 International Mokuhanga Conference juried show in Nara, an event that gathered contemporary practitioners from across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The print's celestial subject is consistent with the contemplative, often nocturnal imagery that recurs in contemporary mokuhanga, where the medium's quietness is used to address subjects of scale and stillness.