29/10/2018

Old or New?



A tea caddy with age
When I first saw this tea caddy I was confused.  “Is it old or is it new” I thought. Knowing that it was going to be exhibited at an antique fair in Hong Kong, I began to think it was old.  Nevertheless I decided that it was not ‘old’ as in antique but old enough to be called ‘vintage’.

It was the colouring, the design of the flowers and their rendering, which made me think it was a piece from the 1920s or there about.

This was a period in Japan when ideas from the West were still very fashionable but somehow had an awkwardness that traditional Japanese art and craft did not have, displaying instead a confidence and unshakable authenticity.

This eclectic and uneasy balance continued until the 1940s and 50s when Japan more readily embraced Western culture but this time with a confidence to display a homegrown vitality instead of something rather artificial.

On reading the notes Takashi Wakamiya had sent me, however, I soon realised that this caddy was new and of considerable interest.  It was made and decorated by Takashi’s workshop, Hikoju Makie in Wajima.

The way the lacquer was applied also seemed to be saying ‘vintage’.  And then there was the ‘glitter’.  And the combination of colours, too, I thought gave it a very particular character—ever so slightly dusty but gleaming nevertheless.  The blue was certainly a surprise.

It is not unusual for a very old piece of Japanese lacquerware to look ‘new’, simply because the finish is so perfect and the motifs are timeless.  But this caddy has a very particular presence.  It was not a surprise to hear that it was snapped up by a hungry collector on the first day of the fair in Hong Kong.

Although the glitter was reminiscent of the kind of gold or silver makie work that is often seen on traditional true lacquerware emerging from Japanese workshops, this was different.

Samples of finish using Kyocera gemstone grains.Photo Copyright © Bill Tingey

Takashi made use of Kyocera’s artificial gemstone technology to obtain the look he wanted.  Fine grains of opal were used and then, a number of samples were made culminating in this tea ceremony tea caddy—looks vintage but is consummately new, expressing more than just the present.

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10/10/2018

Exhibition Notice


The Artistry and Craft of True Lacquer  Exhibition at Takashimaya in Osaka

Hikoju Makie, Takashi Wakamiya:  The Artistry and Craft of True Lacquer
For the past 12,600 years the art and craft of true lacquer has developed along with the people of Japan.  But what of the future?  Our aim is to create works symbolic of the present while linking the past, present and future of this truly remarkable material.  Please take this opportunity of seeing some of our work at this exhibition, which is being staged at Takashimaya in Osaka.

This incense clock is a devise for measuring time with incense.  As the incense smoulders and turns to ash part of one’s like is gone.  This “fragrance time piece” helps us to become more aware of how long we are alive and how time is passing.

Takashi Wakamiya, Hikoju Makie

The incense clock measures 24x24cm and stands 29cm high.  The panels represent the four seasons with appropriate landscapes rendered in a traditional makie technique.

The Artistry and Craft of True Lacquer
6F Gallery, Osaka Takashimaya
5-1-5 Nanba, Chuo Ward, Osaka 542-8510

The exhibition runs from 17th to 23rd October
On Friday 19th and Saturday 20th the gallery will be open until 20:30 but will close at 16:00 on 23rd.
From 14:00 on Wednesday 17th, Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st some of the work on display will be explained.

彦十蒔絵(Hikoju Makie)
企画・広報・海外窓口(Planning, public relations and overseas window
高禎蓮(Wawa / Kao, Chen-Lien)
Mobile:+81-90-2375-9093
Address: 1-188, Kekachidaira-machi, Wajima City, Ishikawa, Japan

彦十蒔絵 若宮隆志展 ~漆芸の可能性~

漆は12,600年もの昔から日本人とともに今日まで発展してきました。
その漆を未来へ繋げるために平成の時代を象徴するような作品を目標に取り組んでおります。
大阪での初の個展となります。どうぞこの機会に御高覧賜りますようお願い申しあげます。

香時計は香りで時間を計る道具ですが、お香が燃えて灰になる事で自分の生きる時間が消えて無くなると感じました。今生きている時間を再認識する為に制作いたしました。
「香時計」/四季山水図 布目象嵌蒔絵 24 ×24 ×H29.5cm

会期:20181017日(水)~23日(火)
場所:髙島屋大阪店6階美術画廊
542-8510 大阪市中央区難波5-1-5
営業時間:10:00am~20:00
1019日(金)、20日(土)は20:30まで
*最終日は16:00まで

*列品説明:1017日(水)、20日(土)、21日(日)各日14:00~