Hibi no yohaku (Margins of Everyday Life)
Akiko Okudaira’s Glassware and Takashi Tomii’s Wooden Ware
23–31 May
*will close on Wednesday 27 May
One day, I took a white lacquer plate out of the cupboard. Having followed Tomii’s work for many years, I’ve always been particularly fond of his matt grey white lacquer. Whilst searching for a glass to pair with it, my eye was caught by Okudaira’s matte grey cup.
Although the materials differ, the colours and presence of the pieces are similar, and I was delighted to have discovered this combination. This is what inspired this exhibition.
What the two artists’ works have in common is their honest forms that make the most of the materials themselves – not merely simple, but forms with a clear intention. We are expecting a variety of items from Tomii, including white lacquer and chestnut plates, and from Okudaira, glassware designed to complement Tomii’s plates.
On the 23rd and 24th (Sunday), ‘Coffee Break by Rokugatsu no Shika
Kumagai from Rokugatsu no Shika in Morioka will be joining us to serve coffee. We invited him after sensing a harmony between his crisp ‘June Deer’ coffee and the artists’ works. Please do join us whilst you browse the exhibition.
Also, on the morning of the 24th (Sun), we’ll be trying something a little different.
‘Daily Margins’ Exhibition Tour: As a first-time initiative, we’ll be introducing the works and highlighting key points from the ‘Daily Margins’ exhibition. Although we’ve called it an ‘exhibition tour’, it’s a very informal gathering. Whilst we usually speak to guests on a one-to-one basis, we organised this hoping to create a chance to gather in the morning, drink coffee, and spend some time engaging with the artworks.
Sunday 24 May: Doors open at 10:00 am, starts at 10:30 am (approx. 30 mins), scheduled to finish around 11:15 am. Afterwards, you are welcome to continue viewing the gallery.
Admission is free, but we kindly ask that you order a coffee or drink.
As places are limited, please book in advance if you wish to attend.
→https://forms.gle/FNbv2WJoDq4G4Vus8
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OKUDAIRA, Akiko Graduating from the Tokyo Glass Craft Institute in 2000, she went on to work at a glass studio before establishing her own practice. She is now based in Hayama, Kanagawa, where she has set up a combined home and studio, creating work using blown glass techniques.
TOMII, Takashi Born in Niigata in 1976, Tomii withdrew from the Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences at the University of Tsukuba and went on to study woodworking at Shinrin Takumi Juku, then joined Oak Village Co., Ltd. He established his own studio in Minamiyamashiro, Soraku, Kyoto in 2008, and has since held numerous solo exhibitions both in Japan and abroad. In 2015, he relocated his studio to Nagaoka, and in 2019 received the Associate Member Excellence Award at the 93rd National Art Exhibition (Kokuten).
