SEIJAKU / STILLNESS
Exhibition dates: 23rd June - 8th July
PV: 5pm - 7pm Thursday 22nd June
Online: 7pm Thursday 22nd June
Featuring works by: Yoko Ozawa, Kouzo Takeuchi, Shun Kumagai, Aki Sakaida, Motomu Oyama, Yasuhide Ono, Hatano Wataru, Tetsuya Ozawa, Mizuyo Yamashita and Takada Kae
Celebrating emerging contemporary artists and craftspeople from Japan, this exhibition showcases artists who transform traditional Japanese aesthetics, values, techniques, and materials in unique and experimental ways. These works strike the balance between bold and powerful forms whilst exuding a sense of calm. Seijaku is a key principle in Japanese aesthetics. The term has a flexible definition, centring around the values of tranquillity and calm, still and solitude, all emitted amid activity. Seijaku exists as an element of the works present in the exhibition amongst an embracing of all elements of Japanese aesthetics, which come together to reflect the calm. This is seen in the work of Mizuyo Yamashita who brings natural and muted tones into their ceramics, and the rough textured ceramics of Tetsuya Ozawa which evoke serenity and use black clay with a traditional glaze. Other ceramic artists in the show include Takada Kae and Yoko Ozawa who celebrate the simplicity of organic forms, and Kouzo Takeuchi whose geometrical porcelain designs explore themes of physical decay and the passage of time. Shun Kumagai and Aki Sakaida explore rich expressions of colour and texture through their glass vessels, while the artist Motomu Oyama explores the beauty and properties of iron in his metalworks. Papermaker Hatano Wataru considers the innovative uses of washi, while jeweller Yasuhide Ono highlights minerals and old materials that show their age – as the artist has said, ‘I wear a part of the earth.’ These ten artists embody the theme of Seijaku or stillness across various media, emphasising the importance of tranquillity amidst a busy life and a busy mind.
