exhibitions

From june 9, 2021, at 18 rue séguier in paris, Amelie maison d'art is exhibiting a selection of works and objects that highlight the beauty of the gesture of japanese artists and designers. this exhibition, curated by Amélie du Chalard and Johanna Colombatti, reveals the attention to detail that is essential to traditional japanese crafts.

each work has been created in a sustainable manner, according to ancestral processes, contributing to the sublimation of everyday life and perpetuating the tradition of Japanese craftsmanship. each creator has endeavored to reveal the beauty in each of their productions, with an authentic virtuosity.

Textile

Rieko Koga is a contemporary Japanese artist, born in Tokyo, who currently lives and works in Paris. She expresses her universe through threads and needles, working spontaneously with textiles. Rieko Koga will decorate the walls with several paintings for the exhibition. For Rieko, the act of sewing is a prayer, and she believes in the magical powers of her stitches. Her works are imbued with wishes buried within the seams, wishes for all. Braiding plant fibers Japanese artist Arko has created three contemporary works using ancient rice straw braiding techniques to reintroduce endangered customs into modern life. She was a finalist for the 2018 LOEWE Craft Award. Tomoko Sakaki, a spiritually guided artist, shifts the boundaries between art and craft, between primitive and future, to create contemporary straw sculptures. Amelie and Johanna called on Tomoko to imagine three custom pieces for the exhibition.

Glass

Saburo, a studio creating exceptional glassware, is embodied by a couple, Mitsuhiko and Yuki Nakata Saburo. They will present a collection of clear glass bowls whose color accents cast extraordinary shadows when they catch the light. Handmade in Japan, these bowls are all subtly different and unique. Nitta Yoshiko, master glassmaker, created 9 pieces of hand-blown glassware for Amelie Maison d'art, engraved with frosted and transparent patterns.

Wood

The BCXSY studio teamed up with Seihachi Tanaka, a Japanese Tategu master, to create a triple openwork screen, through which light is diffused graphically. Each piece is handcrafted from Hinoki (Japanese cypress), an elegant and pleasantly scented wood that is very durable. A single piece requires a variety of different tools that are often custom made by the craftsman to fit a specific task. The Join screen is in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the M+ Museum of Contemporary Art in Hong Kong. The Zougei studio, a duo of sculptural woodworkers, has created a series of 6 unique stools hand-carved from recycled wood destined to be thrown away. It is precisely the beauty of the imperfection of the wood that seduces the craftsman to shape these objects of great sensitivity.

Ceramics

Noe Kuremoto, ceramist, imagines a series of 6 traditional Japanese Tsubo vases, in glazed clay. "Can beauty be eternal?". A first series was presented at the Satellite show in Milan in 2008. The floral artist, Miyoko Yasumoto, will animate the vases of Noe Kuremoto. Kazunori Hamana, who lives and works in Chiba, Japan, a fisherman and ceramicist, will present two ceramic works at the exhibition. Once a vintage clothing vendor in Tokyo's Harajuku district, Kazunori Hamana, inspired by his love of craftsmanship and the deep hues of natural indigo dye, now creates large collections of clay jars with natural shapes and irregular textures. Using clay from Shiga Prefecture, he says he is only partially responsible for the outcome of his tsubo. "Clay is a natural thing; it changes. I don't want to fight with nature, so I follow it," he explains. The irregular pots are constructed from coils and get their unique surface from scratches and glazes. Once the firing process is complete, he prefers to leave his work outside on sun-drenched balconies or in bam