From Cigar Culture to Contemporary Art: Takeshi Ikeda Presents “TIME WORN” in Tokyo

Ikeda has developed a distinctive artistic practice around a material familiar to cigar enthusiasts but rarely considered outside its original context: the decorative ribbon. After a box is opened and the ribbon has completed its purpose, it is often discarded or forgotten. Ikeda collects these ribbons and transforms them into art.

Rather than treating them simply as recycled materials, however, he sees each ribbon as a fragment of cigar culture.

Brand names, emblems, typography, colors and decorative motifs all contain traces of where a cigar came from, how it was presented and the traditions surrounding it.

Ikeda carefully cuts and reconstructs these fragments into large compositions based on grids, circles, vertical lines and repeated forms. Hundreds of individual elements can appear in a single work. From a distance, the compositions often appear highly ordered and almost architectural. Viewed closely, individual names, crests and details from the original ribbons begin to reappear.

This movement between the individual brand and the larger structure is central to Ikeda’s work.

For the artist, cigar culture represents more than the cigar itself. It encompasses craftsmanship, agriculture, trade, ritual, social interaction, and a history that has travelled across countries and generations.

“I became interested in what remains after the cigar has been enjoyed,” said Ikeda. “The ribbon may seem like a very small part of cigar culture, but it carries its own history. My work begins with that trace.” 

 An important part of Ikeda’s practice has developed through his relationship with Cigar Club Tokyo. 

“Cigar Club Tokyo’s president Maki Nakane has kindly supported my work by providing cigar ribbons that I use as primary materials in my artworks. Through this relationship, my practice has grown not only within the context of contemporary art, but also within the actual spaces and communities where cigar culture continues to be experienced and passed on,” said Ikeda. 

His relationship with cigar culture has also brought his artistic practice into direct dialogue with Cuba.

Ikeda has presented work in Havana, including participation connected with the Havana Biennial, and in 2025 presented a large-scale five-meter work in Havana. His continued engagement with Cuba has become an important part of his artistic development. 

At the same time, his work has expanded across Asia, with presentations and collections in Japan, Hong Kong and Korea. 

The recent exhibition titled TIME WORN, reflects Ikeda’s belief that objects gain meaning through use. 

Rather than attempting to return the cigar ribbon to its original condition, he retains its irregularities, cuts, and accumulated traces and incorporates them into a new structure. 

Presented at Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo, TIME WORN brought cigar culture into an unexpected environment, introducing its visual and historical language to audiences from contemporary art, fashion, design and luxury culture. 

Through these works, Ikeda proposes that even the smallest material connected with a cigar can contain a much larger story.

Ikeda’s works are not intended to exist only inside the white cube. Cigar bars and hospitality spaces are directly connected to the culture from which the works emerged: places where a cigar is selected, lit, and experienced slowly, and where an image or brand within a work can reconnect viewers with personal memories.

“I believe cigar bars are not simply places that serve drinks and cigars; they are also places where culture and memory are passed on, said Ikeda.

https://jpsgallery.com/artist/takeshi-ikeda/