Panel Discussion

Comments on the Jurors’ Special Prize Winners（1/4）

OHNISHI  ───── Thank you. Next, I’d like the panelists to make a short comment on each of the special prizes. First of all, I’ll start with the Nagatoshi OHNISHI Prize.
The artist of ‘Wing of Foliage- Dance of the Wind,’ Mr. Shingo MURAMOTO is from Kanazawa. He studied at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and the wind has been a consistent theme for him. The true nature of the wind is very difficult to grasp, but it can be felt. Wind varies from a gentle breeze to a strong storm. We can feel blown away in the wind and it can also sometimes bring us joy.
The shape of this work is formed by layering very thin films of Urushi in a way that keeps its strength while hiding its true nature. In order words, he conveys his literary expression visually. He is expressing the movement of the human soul, constantly rustling in the wind, feeling joy as well as sorrow from time to time. In order to express something invisible, the artist cannot express anything without feeling it. This artist is quite promising and I personally expect a lot from him. I’m looking forward to a consistent approach to his works, and I am happy with his work this year.
Next, Mr. KAWAKAMI, please comment on your prize winner.

KAWAKAMI  ───── I selected ‘Dot and Stripe’ by Ms. Miyuki KINOSHITA. At the beginning, I was at a loss as to which work I should select for my prize. While walking around, hesitating, I was drawn to this work. Inside the cube, geometric patterns are applied and I felt something young and fresh in the contrast between the mother-of-pearl and mirror finish, and the soft matte finish. The charcoal powder matte finish goes well with the hard topcoat. The cube expresses a gentle arc in the sides, which is quite attractive. Her techniques are not yet matured but it gives me a youthful and fresh feeling. I was attracted by the freshness and asked the Secretariat about the artist, who is a young artist who studied at Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo in Ishikawa Prefecture.
As a matter of fact, the work was damaged before her submission and she was going to give up at first. However, she managed to fix the damage and she was in time for submitting her work for the Final Assessment, where I was able to see it without any damage. This worked out in her favor and I selected this work for my prize. I was attracted by this work without knowing why. How could I use this? I have difficulty in imagining particular ways of utilizing the work, and there is some difficulty with the Makie. Although I cannot decide the purpose of this lidded container, I decided to award it my Special Prize because I feel an indescribable charm from this work.

OHNISHI  ───── Next, Mr. Shinichi YAMAMURA, please comment on your Special Prize winner.