This project focuses on the production and experimentation of traditional handmade paper at the Hiroko Tanino paper mill.
Riccardo Ajossa, a researcher and artist specializing in Eastern handmade paper, teaches Paper Technologies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and founded Italy’s first mulberry paper studio. He is a national reference point for mulberry paper manufacturing and its applications in contemporary art and restoration.
Ajossa has led several international exchange projects on papermaking with different cultural contexts and traditions. Through institutional support, he began a collaborative research project with the Hiroko Tanino paper mill, a renowned institution dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional papermaking techniques.
During his residency, Ajossa immersed himself in the full handmade paper production cycle harvesting mulberry bark, boiling, beating, and purifying fibers by hand under the guidance of master papermakers. The final step, the delicate formation of paper sheets using the Suketa frame, was taught to him personally by Master Hiroko Tanino.
The resulting handmade paper sheets, crafted by Ajossa, were later brought to Italy for testing and artistic experimentation, paving the way for a new body of work centered on traditional paper practices and contemporary artistic research.