Which One Is Reflected?
どちらが映る？
by Fumiko Oyama
- Date:
- 2025
- Medium:
- Woodcut with embossing
- Dimensions:
- 100 × 90 cm
- Image courtesy of
- CWAJ Print Show Online Gallery — 68th CWAJ Print Show
どちらが映る？
by Fumiko Oyama
Dated 2025, this large-format woodcut with embossing poses its question — which of two forms is the reflection — through a paired or doubled composition in which one element is rendered in inked relief from the carved block and its counterpart is registered into the [washi](/glossary/washi) as a blind impression, raised from the sheet without pigment. The technique places the viewer in the position the title invites: distinguishing the printed image from its embossed twin requires reading the surface under raking light, where the uninked relief becomes legible as a sculptural shadow rather than a graphic mark. The work belongs to Oyama's mature practice, in which relief carving and [karazuri](/glossary/karazuri)-style blind embossing are treated as equal compositional tools rather than as decorative accent to color printing — a direction that distinguishes her output from the inked-surface tradition of [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) and aligns it with the post-war sōsaku-hanga emphasis on the printmaker's full authorial control over block, paper, and impression. The title's interrogative framing is consistent with the conceptual, perception-oriented titling she has used in other recent Saitama studio prints.
Which One Is Reflected? (どちらが映る？) was created by Fumiko Oyama (大山 ふみこ) in 2025.
Which One Is Reflected? uses Embossing, on woodcut with embossing.
Which One Is Reflected? measures 100 × 90 cm.