Opening Reception Tomorrow 6pm-8pm Microscopic Craft from KAGA 10/25, 26, 27

Ruri Takeuchi & Eiko Tanaka Duo Exhibition
- Microscopic Craft from KAGA –
October 25th Fri. - 27th Sun.

Opening Reception
Tomorrow 6pm-8pm

Nestled in the Sea of Japan is Ishikawa prefecture.
For roughly 350 years, between the period of Japan’s Warring States and the Edo Period, Kaga province, in Ishikawa prefecture, became known for its wood and lacquer ware from Yamanaka city and ceramic ware from Kaga city; it was a tradition of craft-making which was passed down from generation to generation.

Kaga’s tradition of craft is rooted in the culture of Chanoyu and Noh Drama, but it is also the skill and driving spirit of the artisans that continue to make the craft.
While following the tradition of the craft, the artisans continue to push forward a more contemporary dynamic.

Porcelain painting artist, Ruri Takeuchi, and wood turning and lacquer ware artist, Eiko Tanaka, are two young artisans who are reinvigorating the traditional Kaga craft.

Every piece is created with a deliberate and refined hand - wood-turned lacquer ware pieces and painted porcelain pieces that express the two artists different worldviews and the mastering of their respective crafts. This three-day exhibition will be an exploration of their talents and the tradition of Kaga craft.

Please join us for the Opening Reception TOMORROW 6pm - 8pm.
The exhibition will be on three days, Ruri and Eiko will be here during the exhibition!

October 25th Fri. 11am - 8 pm
October 26th Sat. 12pm - 6 pm
October 27th Sun. 12pm - 6 pm

*Their past exhibition at Sara, please click the below.
Exhibition 2010 - Next Generation of Porcelain Paintings -
Exhibition 2011 - The way of Tea Ceremony of KAGA -
Exhibition 2012 - Traditional Art and Craft from KAGA -

At the forefront of more than 350 years of history of traditional Kaga crafts are two female artists--Ruri Takeuchi and Eiko Tanaka.
For these two young artists, Ruri, a Kutani ware artist, and Eiko, a Yamanaka lacquerware artist, the future holds incredible potential.

Ruri Takeuchi is an artist who paints exquisitely fine motifs on porcelain pieces - boxes, incense holders, or small figurines.
A native of Nara prefecture, in Japan, Ruri studied at Kyoto's School of Traditional Arts and Crafts.  Upon graduation, she apprenticed under Chousa Yamamoto, a renown porcelain artist, and became entranced by traditional Kaga crafts and Kutani porcelain painting.  She would spend four years learning and developing her techniques in porcelain painting.

In 2010, Sara Japanese Pottery held a group exhibition, "KAGAKUTANI in NY 2010," where she premiered her vivid designs as an independent artist, not as a learner.
"Microscopic Craft from KAGA" will be Ruri's fourth time showing in New York.

“With each individual work, including the title, I condense a single universe into that piece.  The motifs are mostly inspired by nature, and I find it most satisfying when someone is able to look at my work and experience a soft breeze, hear the voice of a bird, or recreate a feeling from some story.”
-Ruri Takeuchi

Her works are as she describes them.  She encapsulates a single scene from nature into a design with lush green leaves surrounding a marten or rabbit, or an elegant expression of a bird with glamorous feathers.
Her brushstrokes, the point tapered to a single hair, paint thin and wispy lines.  It is with her steady hand and delicate brush that she draws the outline and applies the color to fill the design, and which compels her precise and beautiful craft.

On a horizontal lathe, Eiko Tanaka mounts a piece of wood.  As the lathe turns, she uses her sharpened utensils to carefully carve out a light and delicate form.  From a traditional form of artistry, her exquisite skill and confidence comes from experience and passion; she listens and reacts to the wood while shaping its surfaces.

She creates a perfect curve only by the sensation in her fingertip when her self-made tools come into contact with the quickly spinning wood.

The wood she uses, such as Black Persimmon tree, is scarce.  It is preserved for over 20 years meticulously treated and dried, waiting for the perfect moment to be handled.  Oftentimes, the apprentice will inherit this wood from their mentor - it is simultaneously a moment of burden and of great responsibility.
Eiko's refined techniques are guided by the beauty of the wood grain, which radiates from beneath the layer of lacquer.  Every work, though contemporary, is every bit intertwined with its history.

Take the piece into your hand, and you are grasping the voice of the wood.